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SHEEP   HUSBANDRY 

3u  tl)c  Soutl): 

COMPRISING  A  TREATISE  ON  TUB 

ACCLIMATION  OF  SHEEP  IN  THE  SOUTHERN  STATES, 

^  AND 

AN  ACCOUNT   OF   THE   DIFFERENT  BREEDS. 

ALSO, 

A  COMPLETE   MANUAL 


BREEDING,   SUMMER  AND  WINTER  MANAGEMENT,  AND  OF 
THE  TREATMENT  OF  DISEASES. 

toitl)  JJortraits  onb  otljer  ^Unstrationa. 

IN  A  SERIES  OP  LETTERS  FROM 

HENRY     S.^^R  A  N  BALL,     Esq. 

OF  COETLAND  VILLAGE,  N.   Y. 
TO 

R.   F.   ^Y.   A  L  L  S  T  0  N,   Esq. 

OF  SOUTH  CAEOLINA. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PUBLISHED    BY    J.  S.  SKINNER    &    SON. 

1848. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1S48,  by 

J.   S.   SKINNER  4-   SON, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Eastern  District  of  Pennsylvania. 


Printed  by  T.  K.  &  V.  G.  Collins. 


PREFACE. 


So  full  and  complete  is  the  exposition  of  the  subject  as  discussed 
in  the  £Dllo\Ying  "pages,  and  so  clearly  are  the  scope  of  the  work  and 
the  circumstances  which  prevailed  with  its  accomplished  author,  to 
pass  it  through  our  hands  to  the  public,  explained  in  his  own  "  Intro- 
duction," that  only  in  compliance  with  a  common  custom  in  book- 
making,  might  any  thing  have  been  deemed  necessary  in  the  way  of 
preface ;  were  it  not  to  acquit  ourselves  of  the  obligation  to  tender 
thus  publicly  to  Col.  Randall,  not  our  own  thanks  merely,  but  those 
of  the  agricultural  community,  for  the  great  benefit  which  must  ensue 
to  it,  in  the  proportion  that  this  instructive  contribution  to  the  stock 
of  our  agricultural  knowledge  and  literature  may  command  the  atten- 
tion to  which  it  is,  on  every  account,  so  well  entitled. 

An  agricultural  correspondence,  reaching  far  back,  and  spreading 
widely  over  the  Southern  States,  to  which  has  been  more  recently 
added  considerable  extent  of  personal  observation,  had  with  us, 
already  established  the  conviction,  that  in  no  other  part  of  our  coun- 
try, perhaps,  does  there  exist  a  resource  at  once  so  fruitful,  and  so 
little  availed  of,  as  that  which  is  possessed  in  that  region,  for  the  pro- 
secution of  this — one  of  the  most  interesting  and  important  branches 
of  Husbandry  that  any  country  can  enjoy. 

But  while  it  has  been  easy  to  perceive  this  defect  so  apparent  in  their 
agricultural  economy,  amounting  in  the  aggregate  to  a  national  loss 
of  no  inconsiderable  magnitude ;  it  was  not  so  easy  to  expose,  as 
Col.  Randall  has  done,  the  fallacy  of  the  difficulties  that  were  sup- 
posed to  stand  in  the  way,  or  to  indicate  how  the  real  impediments 
which  do  exist  may  be  overcome,  or  materially  mitigated. 

Something  of  these  imaginary  difficulties,  for  successful  Sheep 
Husbandry,  may,  as  we  believe,  be  assumed  to  have  their  origin  in  the 
prejudices  engendered  in  the  minds  of  Southern  agriculturists,  by  the 
sweeping  condemnation  of  it  to  be  found  in  the  celebrated  and  deserv- 
edly popular  essays  of  Arator,  by  Col.  John  Taylor — clarum  vene- 
rabile  nomen  !  and  it  may  be  that  these  prejudices  are  referable  in  a 
degree,  also,  to  the  concurrent  opinions  of  the  no  less  celebrated  John 
Randolph,  "  of  Roanoke,"  who,  even  on  the  floor  of  Congress,  gave 
them  utterance  in  vehement  and  bitter  denunciation  against  the  hai*m- 


389G3 


4  PREFACE. 

less  animal  itself — going  so  far  in  his  animosity  to  it,  and  to  all  en- 
couragement of  the  great  industry  which  it  was  formed  to  subserve, 
as  to  declare,  that  he  would  at  any  time  go  out  of  his  way  "  to  kick  a 
sheep!"  Nor  would  it  be  unreasonable  to  apprehend  that  these  im- 
pressions against  the  policy  and  profit  of  sheep-breeding,  as  an  import- 
ant object  of  attention  for  the  Southern  land-holder,  have  taken  root 
the  more  kindly  in  the  minds  of  a  people  unaccustomed,  if  not  na- 
turally averse  to  that  careful  and  minute  attention  which  the  successful 
prosecution  of  this  business  demands — a  people  whose  sons,  it  may  be 
feared,  still  find  it  easier,  if  not  more  commendable,  to  follow  in  the 
venerated  footsteps  of  their  sires,  than  to  encounter  for  themselves  the 
labor  of  investigation,  and  the  trouble  (together  with  some  expense) 
of  new  arrangements  incident  to  every  new  employment  of  labor  and 
capital.  The  general  impression,  in  fact,  is,  (the  reader  will  judge 
how  far  it  is  just,)  that  cultivators  of  the  soil  everywhere  are,  of  all 
classes,  the  least  apt  to  embark  in  any  ncAV  enterprise,  however  pro- 
mising. They  talk  and  talk  about  it,  but  rarely  go  about ;  and  per- 
haps it  may  be  better  that  it  should  be  so  ;  yet  it  is  well  to  remember 
that  precipitancy  is  one  thing,  and  torpor  quite  another  !  We  once 
knew  a  farmer  (so  called)  in  Calvert  county,  who,  being  told,  as  he  sat 
toasting  himself  in  the  chimney  corner  on  a  cold  winter's  night,  that 
the  house  was  on  fire  !  without  moving  from  his  seat,  answered,  "  call 
the  people  !" 

In  opposition  to  all  that  has  been  urged  or  imagined  against  Sheep 
Husbandry  in  the  South,  on  the  score  either  of  ill-adapted  climate, 
deficiency  of  suitable  forage,  want  of  adequate  demand  for  wool,  or 
other  obstacles,  the  whole  subject  has  been  so  admirably  and  thoroughly 
canvassed  in  the  work  here  offered,  that  further  argument  would  be 
superfluous ;  otherwise  we  might  oppose  to  the  hitherto  prevailing  be- 
lief, if  not  prejudice,  the  experience  of  some,  on  a  limited  scale,  and 
the  well-settled  opinion  of  yet  many  more  among  the  most  enlightened 
of  our  acquaintances  in  that  region — gentlemen  uniting  ample  oppor- 
tunities with  close  habits  of  observation  on  all  questions  of  rural 
economy,  and  who  have  not  hesitated  to  express  the  confident  belief, 
that  profitable  and  interesting  as  has  been  the  growing  of  cattle  in 
western  Virginia,  an  equal  amount  of  capital  and  attention,  devoted 
to  sheep  and  wool  growing  in  the  same  section  of  country,  would  be 
yet  more  remunerating.  Looking  for  reliable  information  yet  further 
south,  and  back  to  a  period  more  remote,  even  anterior  to  our  decla- 
ration of  independence,  it  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  quote  an  evi- 
dently careful  and  intelligent  author  of  a  work  on  the  climate  and 
products  of  each  of  the  then  English  colonies.  Speaking  of  Georgia, 
and  her  well-ascertained  adaptation  to  the  growth  of  silk,  the  vine, 
the  olive,  madder  and  wool,  he  remarks :  "  Wool,  we  [England]  take 


PREFACE.  6 

in  large  quantities  from  abroad,  because  it  is  of  a  kind  we  cannot  pro- 
duce in  England  :  our  colonies  on  the  continent  of  North  America, 
South  of  New  York,  produce  a  wool  entirely  similar  to  the  Spanish. 
No  staple  they  could  produce  would,  therefore,  be  more  advantageous 
to  Great  Britain.  It  is  well  known  that  a  piece  of  fine  broadcloth 
cannot  be  made  without  Spanish  wool ;  it  is  also  known  that  the 
Spaniards  have  of  late  years  made  great  efforts  to  work  up  their  own 
wool ;  if  they  should  succeed,  or  if  they  should  by  any  other  means 
prevent  the  export  of  it,  our  woollen  fabrics,  though  they  might  not 
be  stopped,  would  at  least  be  burdened  with  a  fresh  expense  and  a 
new  trouble ;  all  which  would  be  prevented  by  encouraging  the  import 
of  wool  from  America  :  and  at  the  same  time  that  this  good  effect  was 
wrought,  another  would  be  brought  about,  in  cramping  the  manufac- 
tures of  the  colonies.'^ 

Unfortunately  for  the  agricultural  interest  of  our  country  particu- 
larly, the  desire  to  "  cramp  the  manufactures  of  the  colonies,"  here  so 
candidly  avowed  as  the  settled  policy  of  England,  not  only  survived 
the  Revolution,  but  has  been  so  well  fostered  by  our  own  subserviency 
to  it,  as  to  render  our  independence,  in  respect  of  this  and  other  no 
less  important  industrial  pursuits,  rather  nominal  and  fictitious  than 
substantial  and  true ;  nevertheless,  with  the  odds  of  pauper  labor  and 
immense  capital  against  us,  thanks  to  the  ingenuity  and  enterprise  of 
our  people,  we  need  not  despair  of  final  success  with  any  thing  like  fair 
consideration  on  the  part  of  our  own  government.  For  this  opinion 
we  need  have  no  better  authority  than  that  of  Samuel  Lawrence, 
the  enlightened  and  liberal  proprietor  of  the  Middlesex  Mills,  at 
Lowell,  who  says,  "  fhe  business  of  manufacturing  wool  in  this  coun- 
try is  on  a  better  basis  than  ever  before,  inasmuch  as  the  character, 
skill,  and  capital  engaged  in  it  are  such  as  to  defy  foreign  competi- 
tion." Occasional  revulsions,  such  as  the  present,  will  occur  from 
causes  abroad  over  which  we  have  no  control,  but  let  not  the  wool 
grower  relax  in  the  care  of  his  flock,  for  the  same  far-seeing  manu- 
facturer has  declared  that  he  could  point  to  articles  of  wool  now  im- 
ported, that  will  require  thirty  millions  of  pounds  of  medium  and  fine 
quality  to  supply  the  demand. 

After  all,  then,  on  viewing  the  importance  of  the  inquiry  to  nume- 
rous friends  for  whose  welfare  we  profess  to  entertain  unaffected  con- 
cern, and  the  great  extent  of  the  district  which  seemed  to  us  to  be  so  well 
adapted  to  the  growth  of  sheep  and  wool — the  magnitude  of  the  interests 
involved  swelled  upon  the  contemplation,  begetting  a  conviction  that  as 
a  question  of  practical  agriculture,  it  was  not  to  be  worthily  and  well 
treated  by  a  few  hasty  and  superficial  essays,  or .  by  more  elaborate 
compilations  in  relation  to  the  oft-repeated  natural  history  of  the  ani- 
jaal,  its  prominence  in  scriptural  annals,  &c.,  unsustained  by  that 


6  PREFACE. 

laborious  and  discriminating  comparison  of  facts  and  authorities  to 
illustrate  its  uses  and  its  value,  and  by  that  fulness  of  personal  ex- 
perience in  the  breeding  and  management  of  the  various  races,  "  in 
sickness  and  in  health,"  which  constitute  the  excellence  of  these  let- 
ters to  Col.  AUston. 

Under  all  these  circumstances,  the  reader  of  the  work  here  pre- 
sented may  well  judge  how  fortunate  that  it  should  have  been  under- 
taken, con  amove,  by  a  gentleman  so  well  prepared  by  general  scholar- 
ship, T)y  exact  practical  knowledge,  and  by  extensive  inquiry  into  the 
mercantile  and  manufacturing,  as  well  as  the  agricultural  bearings  of 
the  question.  , 

It  is  due,  however,  no  less  in  justice  to  ourselves  than  to  truth,  to 
add,  that  in  urging  him  to  undertake  it,  we  had  no  idea  of  committing 
the  author  to  such  an  amount  of  labor,  even  had  we  foreseen  that 
being,  as  he  says,  a  "  labor  of  love,"  it  would  have  thus  ended  in  pro- 
ducing, as  in  our  judgment  it  has,  decidedly,  the  best  work  on  the  sub- 
ject of  Sheep,  that  has  at  any  time  appeared  in  our  country. 

May  we  not  refer,  for  the  soundness  of  this  opinion,  as  well  to 
its  originality  and  strictly  American  character,  as  to  the  comprehen- 
siveness with  which  it  presents  the  subject  in  its  various  relations,  in- 
structive alike  to  the  merchant,  the  manufacturer,  the  political 
inquirer,  and  the  legislator ;  as  to  the  practical  farmer  ?  Nor  is  it  to 
be  characterized  alone  by  its  utility  in  these  respects  ;  for  the  reader 
will  agree  with  us  that  its  entire  fairness  and  freedoin  from  narrow 
views  and  local  prejudices,  much  enlarge,  in  a  moral  and  instructive 
view,  its  title  to  general  confidence  and  favor. 

Finally,  as  far  as  the  public  judgment  may  be  anticipated  in  refer- 
ence to  a  production  originally  appearing  disadvantageously,  in  de- 
tached parts,  and  not  until  now  finished  and  embodied ;  if  we  may 
conclude  from  the  favorable  manner  in  which  such  portions  have  been 
reviewed  and  recommended,  by  some  of  the  leading  journals  of  the 
country,  the  writer  may  well  felicitate  himself  on  having  rendered  a 
most  acceptable  service  not  only  to  his  brother  farmers,  but  to  his 
countrymen  generally ;  while  we  may  unaffectedly,  and,  as  we  think, 
confidently  add,  it  establishes  for  Col.  Randall  himself  a  claim  to  stand 
in  front  of  those  whose  pens,  some  of  them  under  high  motives  of 
patriotism,  have  been  engaged  in  illustrating  one  of  the  most  impor- 
tant of  all  our  industrial  pursuits ;  nay,  one  which  may  be  considered 
essential,  in  an  eminent  degree,  to  our  national  independence. 

J.  S.  SKINNER, 

Late  Editor  of  the  Farmers'  Library, 
{now  of  The  Plough,  the  Loom,  and  the  Anvil.) 
July  4, 1848. 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  subject  of  Sheep  Husbandry  has  recently  attracted  more  attention  in  our 
Southern  and  South-western  States,  than  at  any  previous  period.  The  want  of  a 
staple  or  product,  the  cultivation  of  which  should  render  productive  the  capital  in- 
vested in  millions  of  acres  of  mountain  and  other  lands,  which  do  not  now  yield  a 
farthing  of  income,  and  which,  from  their  soils,  situation,  or  other  circumstances, 
are  unadapted  to  the  growth  of  any  of  the  present  Southern  staples,  has  struck  every 
Southern  man,  as  well  as  every  traveller  of  ordinary  intelligence,  who  has  passed 
through  the  regions  indicated.  The  want,  too,  of  some  class  of  domestic  animals 
to  constitute  the  basis,  or  pivot  hh  it  were,  of  a  system  of  convertible  husbandry  on 
the  tillage  lands  of  the  South,  to  take  the  place  of  the  present  imperfect  rotations 
of  crops,  and  new  and  old  field-system,  has  become  apparent  to  many  of  her  more 
investigating  agriculturists. 

The  fact  that  the  mountain  and  other  unproductive  lands  alluded  to  cannot  be 
made  to  profitably  yield  any  vegetable  products  but  pasturage ;  that  for  the  present, 
and  for  a  long  time  to  come,  at  least,  the  bulk  of  them  will  not  afford  a  pasturage 
adapted  to  the  support  of  large  animals  ;  could  not  but  suggest  the  growing  of  wool, 
as  their  best,  if  not  their  only  available  staple.  The  similarity  of  their  general  cli- 
mate, too,  with  that  where  wool  is  most  cheaply  grown  on  the  Eastern  Continent, 
was  a  consideration  promising  favorably  to  this  husbandry.  And,  finally,  it  had 
not  failed  to  strike  men  of  ordinary  commercial  intelligence,  that  of  those  animal 
staples,  to  the  production  of  which  a  Southern  climate  is  adapted,  the  Sheep  fur- 
nishes a  vastly  more  marketable  one  than  any  of  the  larger  grazing  animals. 

The  superiority  of  the  Sheep  over  other  animals  for  supporting  the  fertility  of 
tillage  lands,  by  converting  a  portion  of  their  products  into  manure,  was  not  so 
apparent.  But  the  well-known  fact  that  they  receive  the  preference  for  this  pur- 
pose, in  some  of  the  best  agricultural  countries  of  the  world,  made  it  sufficiently 
probable  to  demand  a  full  investigation,  before  adopting  an  adverse  conclusion,  espe- 
cially as  what  has  been  said  in  relation  to  climate  and  the  marketableness  of  animal 
staples,  was  as  applicable  to  these  lands,  in  the  South,  as  to  those  adapted  only  to 
grass. 

But  Sheep  Husbandry  as  a  system,  and  especially  a  system  tested  by  experience, 
was  scarcely  known  in  any  of  the  Southern  States  excepting  in  western  Virginia. 
Whether  the  theoretical  considerations  and  natural  circumstances  which  apparently 
favored  its  introduction  would  be  met,  in  practice,  with  unforeseen  obstacles,  was  a 
matter  calling  for  grave  circumspection.  The  Southern  agriculturist  is  ever  wary 
of  innovation,  and  very  properly  averse  to  rash  experiment.  He  knew,  it  is  true, 
that  his  roving  and  untended  "native"  sheep  obtained  subsistence,  and  found  no 

7 


8  INTRODUCTION. 


enemies  to  their  health  but  the  wolf  and  cur,  on  all  the  Southern  zones.  But 
whether  the  local  climate  and  herbage  of  those  different  zones — the  low,  level, 
Tertiary  sands  of  the  Atlantic  plain — the  granite  hills  of  the  middle,  and  the  ele- 
vated Paleozoic  or  Transition  regions  of  the  mountain  zone — would  be  found  to 
agree  with  the  more  valuable  breeds  of  sheep ;  whether  their  wool  would  retain  its 
qualities  or  degenerate  in  these  several  localities ;  whether  a  greatly  increased  sup- 
ply of  wool  would  find  a  remunerating  price  in  market;  whether  the  mountains 
could  be  converted  into  sheep-pastures,  and  wool  produced  on  them  without  an 
expense  which  would  absorb  all  the  profits ;  whether  Sheep  Husbandry  could  be 
made  a  substitute  for  "  resting,"  or  expensive  artificial  manures,  in  restoring  to  the 
cotton,  tobacco,  and  grain  lands  of  the  middle  and  tide-water  zones  the  fertility 
withdrawn  by  tillage ;  and  various  other  important  correlative  questions  were  all 
problems  to  him.  And  to  add  to  the  difficulties  of  forming  a  correct  opinion,  and 
especially  of  instituting  safe  and  satisfactory  experiments,  he  was  ignorant  of  all 
the  practical  details  and  manipulations  of  Sheep  Husbandry :  he  knew  little  of  the 
various  breeds,  and  their  respective  adaptation  to  his  wants. 

For  information  on  the  subject  of  practical  Sheep  Husbandry  and  breeds  of  sheep, 
there  are  a  multitude  of  European,  and  several  American  works,  of  great  value. 
But  for  the  answers  to  the  questions  in  the  preceding  paragraph,  which  involve  the 
particular  bearings  and  adaptation  of  this  husbandry,  of  the  different  breeds,  etc., 
to  the  agricultural  circumstances  and  wants  of  the  various  regions  of  the  South- 
where  was  the  inquirer  to  find  the  desired  information  1  Some  well-written  letters, 
embracing  portions  of  these  topics,  have  appeared  from  time  to  time  in  our  agricul- 
tural journals.  They  have  been  of  great  value  in  drawing  attention  to  the  subject. 
But  they  have  not  usually  occupied  limits  sufficient  for  the  examination  of  more 
than  a  single  phase  of  the  general  subject,  or  they  have  been  mere  coup  cCaik  of 
that  subject,  omitting  all  but  a  few  important  facts  and  considerations  of  a  general 
character.  They  have,  too,  usually  been  replied  to,  or  published  contemporaneously 
in  the  same  or  other  agricultural  journals,  with  contradictory  statements — some- 
times with  crude  and  erroneous  speculations— calculated  to  confuse  or  mislead  the 
inexperienced  inquirer.  Beyond  these  occasional  Letters  in  the  agricultural  jour- 
nals, nothing,  so  far  as  I  am  aware,  has  appeared  on  this  subject. 

A  practical  farmer,  I  have  bred  nearly  all  the  approved  varieties  of  almost  every 
kind  of  domestic  stock — of  every  kind  commonly  kept  on  Northern  farms — and 
have  been  familiar  with  the  details  of  their  management  and  husbandry.  I  have 
owned  flocks  of  sheep,  and  been  more  or  less  familiar  with  them,  from  my  child- 
hood ;  and  for  the  last  fifteen  years  have  made  their  economy,  their  habits,  their 
comparative  profitableness  with  other  kinds  of  stock,  and  the  comparative  value  of 
their  breeds,  matters  of  careful  and  constant  observation  and  experiment. 

When  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  New  York  State  Agricultural  Society,  a 
few  years  since,  the  facts  drawn  out  by  me  in  an  extensive  correspondence  with 
eminent  Southern  agriculturists,  united  to  what  knowledge  I  had  previously  ob- 
tained by  reading  and  personal  observation  of  the  Southern  States,  led  me  to  the 
impression  that  there  were  numerous  considerations  and  natural  circumstances 
strongly  indicating  the  expediency  of  introducing  wool-growing  extensively  into 
those  States.  But  at  that  time,  my  attention,  in  common  with  that  of  many  if  not 
most,  of  the  Northern  flock-masters,  was  turned  towards  the  prairies  of  the  North- 
west, as  a  region  capable  of  sweeping  away  all  American  competition  in  this  branch 
of  husbandry.  Glowing  estimates  and  calculations  had  been  predicated  on  very 
partial  experiments.  The  value  of  the  natural  grasses,  the  character  of  the  winters 
and  general  climate,  and  the  general  facilities  of  the  prairies  for  wool-growing,  were 
then  little  understood  here,  and  had  been  made  the  subjects  of  much  favorable  exag- 


INTRODUCTION. 


geration.  Facts  subsequently  ascertained,  have,  it  cannot  be  denied,  materially 
changed  the  impressions  of  our  flock-masters  on  this  subject.  Whether  correctly 
or  incorrectly,  they  no  lonjrer  fear  Western  competition  in  growing  ^/le  wool.  My 
own  coincides  with  the  popular  impression  on  this  topic,  it'  we  consider  that  com- 
petition in  its  relations  to  a  period  not  far  distant  in  the  future. 

The  adoption  of  these  views  led  me  to  again  turn  my  attention,  never  entirely 
withdrawn,  more  particularly  to  the  capabilities  of  the  South  for  this  branch  of  hus- 
bandry. My  conclusions  and  the  reasons  for  them  will  be  found  in  the  following 
Letters.  In  a  letter  to  Hon.  Kobert  J.  Walker,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  pub- 
lished in  his  Treasury  Report  of  1615,  and  in  a  series  of  letters  published  in  the 
Virginia  "  Valley  Farmer,"  tlie  same  year,  I  sUited  some  of  the  general  conclu- 
sions I  had  then  arrived  at  on  this  topic.  These  publications  were  followed  by 
letters  from  gentlemen  residing  in  Virginia,  North  and  South  Carolina,  Tennessee, 
Mississijipi,  Louisiana,  and  Arkansas,  making  farther  inquiries,  and  usually  impart- 
ing more  or  less  local  information  on  the  subject.  Some  of  these  were  practical 
men,  only  seeking  information  on  practical  points;  others,  eminent  for  intelligence 
and  legislative  experience,  embraced  a  more  comprehensive  field  of  investigation, 
and  sought  from  me,  as  probably  from  other  sources,  to  ascertain  by  a  wide  range 
of  general  facts  and  statistics,  the  probable  bearing,  now  and  in  future,  of  an  exten- 
sive system  of  wool-growing  on  the  Agriculture,  Commerce,  Manufactures,  domes- 
tic consumption — in  short,  the  whole  domestic  economy  of  our  Southern  States. 

Answers  to  these  questions  demanded  careful  investigation,  and  involved  a  great 
variety  and  complexity  of  details  in  the  practical  department  of  the  subject,  ren- 
dered far  more  numerous  by  the  w^ide  differences  existing  between  the  soils,  esta- 
blished husbandry,  and  even  the  climates,  of  the  three  distinct  and  well-defined 
zones  already  alluded  to.  The  location  of  some  of  my  correspondents  was  on  the 
mountains  of  Virginia,  the  Carolinas,  and  Tennessee — others  on  the  hilly  zone  of 
the  same  States — others  on  the  Tertiary  sands  of  the  tide-water  zone,  and  the  Cre- 
taceous plains  of  the  Mississippi  and  Arkansas.  To  give  opinions  on  all  the  topics 
referred  to,  and  in  reference  to  natural  circumstances  so  various,  supported  by  even 
a  respectable  show  of  corroborating  facts,  was  an  undertaking  requiring  considera- 
ble time  and  labor  :  to  repeat  them  separately  to  each  correspondent,  was  wholly 
out  of  the  question. 

Requested  by  Mr.  Skinner,  a  little  more  than  a  year  since,  to  prepare  a  series  of 
Letters  on  Sheep  Husbandry,  and  especially  on  Sheep  Husbandry  in  the  South,  for 
The  Farmers'  Library,  it  occurred  to  me  that  a  compliance  with  his  request  would 
enable  me  to  answer  each  of  my  correspondents  by  once  writing;  and  moreover,  I 
could  feel,  under  such  circumstances,  that  I  could  properly  afford  to  bestow  an 
amount  of  time  and  elaboration  on  my  communications  which  I  should  otherwise 
find  impracticable.  And  I  confess,  I  also  thought  if  the  information  I  could  impart 
would  prove  of  value  to  my  personal  correspondents,  it  might  also  prove  so  to  many 
.others  among  the  numerous  readers  of  a  popular  agricultural  magazine.  The  liberal 
offer  of  the  Publishers  to  provide  all  such  cuts  as  I  should  choose  to  direct,  was  an 
additional  inducement  to  adopt  this  medium  of  communication.  I  have  often  felt 
the  want  of  these  in  agricultural  letters  of  my  own,  and  in  reading  the  works  of 
others.  In  describing  a  breed  of  sheep,  for  example,  to  a  person  who  has  never 
seen  them,  the  best  chosen  words  convey  but  a  vague  impression.  In  many  other 
cases  also,  cuts  exhibit  at  a  glance  what  it  would  require  much  circumlocution  to 
describe;  and  they  in  many  instances  convey  ideas  to  the  mind  with  a  definiteness, 
correctness,  and  exemption  from  possibility  of  misunderstanding,  which  words 
alone  never  could.  The  cuts  include  portraits  of  all  the  breeds  which  I  supposed 
could  of  possibility  possess,  or  claim  to  possess,  superior  value,  for  any  region  or 


B 


10  INTRODUCTION. 


locality  within  the  United  States;  all  the  necessary  anatomical  figures,  with  those 
of  the  less  known  insect  and  parasitic  enemies  of  the  sheep ;  and  finally,  represen- 
tations of  every  implement,  fixture,  or  process  employed  in  Sheep  Husbandry, 
where  I  thought  they  would  convey  important  information — and  particularly  nev) 
information — more  clearly  than  it  could  be  done  by  words.  Many  of  the  latter 
class  of  illustrations  have  never  before  been,  so  far  as  I  am  aware,  attempted ;  and, 
representing-  as  they  do  the  results  of  years  of  inquiry  and  experiment,  I  trust  they 
may  prove  of  service  to  beginners — particularly  in  regions  where  Sheep  Husbandry 
has  been  hitherto  little  known. 

The  Letters  were  begun  and  concluded  exclusively  as  a  "  labor  of  love."  To 
possess  the  consciousness  that  even  a  limited  portion  of  my  fellow-men  have  been 
benefited  by  my  labors,  would  be  all,  and  the  noblest  recompense  to  which  I  could 
aspire.  Nor  do  I  feel,  that  in  attempting  to  benefit  the  agriculturists  of  one  section 
of  our  country,  by  urging  them  to  appropriate  a  branch  of  industry  now  giving  sub- 
sistence to  those  of  another  section,  I  am  seeking  the  good  of  the  former  at  the 
expense  of  the  latter.  Every  region  has  natural  advantages,  or  those  resulting  from 
the  natural  course  of  events,  for  different  branches  of  industry.  A  right  to  these 
advantages  enures  from  a  right  to  the  soil  ;  and  the  former  is  just  as  natural  and 
sacred  a  right  as  the  latter.  To  attempt  to  wrest  them  from  the  holder  by  legisla- 
tion, is  oppressive ;  to  withhold  from  him  any  knowledge  necessary  to  the  enjoy- 
ment of  them,  is  unfraternal  and  unmanly.  If  Virginia  can  grow  wool,  or  any  other 
staple,  more  cheaply  than  New  York,  let  her  do  it.  She  will  only  force  New  York 
to  fall  back  on  the  production  of  some  other  staple,  or  to  adopt  some  other  branch 
of  industry.  And  why  not  1  Why  should  there  not  be  a  division  of  production, 
where  it  is  called  for  by  natural  circumstances,  at  least  within  the  limits  of  a  com- 
mon nation  ?  It  is  doubtless  well  for  every  region,  whether  extensive  or  limited, 
to  produce  its  own  necessaries  of  life  to  the  greatest  economical  extent.  But  an 
attempt  to  force  Nature  against  her  manifest  capabilities,  for  the  sake  of  attaining  a 
fancied  local  independence,  is  to  inflict  a  real  evil,  in  the  hope  of  attaining  an  ima- 
ginary good.  History  is  full  of  instances  where  the  prosperity  of  large  masses  of 
individuals,  and  even  whole  nations,  has  been  crippled,  in  futile  efforts  to  upbuild 
this  or  that  branch  of  industry,  in  spite  of  natural  obstacles,  or  against  the  compe- 
tition of  regions  possessing  greater  natural  advantages.  Among  the  foolish,  selfish, 
and  even  iniquitous  legislation  of  past  ages,  there  has  been  none  perhaps  productive 
of  more  real  mischief  to  human  industry  than  the  intermeddling  enactments  of  go- 
vernments, ostensibly  designed  for  its  benefit.  Masses  of  men,  because  divided  by 
a  rivulet,  speaking  a  different  language,  or  owning  the  sway  of  different  potentates, 
have  aspired  to  that  physical  independence  of  each  other,  and  of  the  whole  world, 
which  the  God  of  nature  rendered  economically,  if  not  absolutely  impossible.  The 
vexatious  restrictions  on  trade  and  commerce  imposed  in  pursuit  of  this  object  by 
one  government,  were  met  by  retaliatory  ones  by  others,  until  international  com- 
mercial legislation  became  a  confused  labyrinth  of  enactments — their  absurdity  only 
equaled  by  their  mischievousness.  And  like  the  elephants  formerly  used  by  bar- 
barian nations  in  battle,  they  nearly  as  often  trampled  down  their  friends  as  their 
enemies.  The  era  of  these  things  is  rapidly  passing  away.  That  patriotism  which 
includes  only  a  province  or  State,  among  one  common  people,  is  beginning  to  be 
recognised  as  narrow  and  sordid  :  nay,  among  intelligent  men,  that  philanthropy  is 
beginning  to  be  thought  meagre  and  unexpansive  which  stops  even  at  the  boundaries 
of  Nations. 

In  preparing  the  following  Letters,  I  have  labored  under  disadvantages  insepara- 
ble from  the  circumstances  under  which  they  have  been  prepared.  I  have  written 
them  from  month  to  month,  amid  the  hurry  of  other  pursuits,  with  little  idea  of  what 


INTRODUCTION.  11 


would  be  their  ultimate  limits — usually  with  one  or  more  of  the  immediately  pre- 
ceding numbers  in  the  hands  of  the  printer,  and  consequently  not  under  my  inspec- 
tion. I  have  not  therefore  had  that  opportunity  .to  proportion  the  space  devoted  to 
the  several  topics,  avoid  repetition,  and  correct  errors,  possessed  by  him  who  com- 
pletes and  revises,  before  any  portion  of  his  manuscript  is  rendered  unalterable  by 
stereotypinnr. 

Reliance  on  insufficient  authority  has  in  a  very  few  instances  led  me  into  errors, 
but  fortunately,  so  far  as  discovered,  they  have  been  of  triflinsr  importance,  and  in 
relation  to  matters  of  no  especial  moment.  Those  thouoht  worthy  of  notice  have 
been  corrected  in  subsequent  parts  of  the  body  of  the  work.  The  causes  I  have 
named,  therefore,  affect  rather  the  literary  character  of  the  Letters,  than  their 
general  accuracy. 

In  statiniT  important  facts  and  conclusions,  I  have  consulted  such  writers  of  repu- 
tation as  were  within  my  reach.  Among  the  foreign  ones  who  have  prepared  works 
on  Sheep  Husbandry,  or  expressed  important  opinions  on  some  of  its  separate 
topics  or  facts,  or  who  have  alluded  to  the  Sheep  Husbandry  of  particular  countries 
or  nations,  reference  has  been  had  to  the  following,  either  by  consulting  their  works, 
as  I  have  in  most  instances  been  able  to  do — or  by  quotntions  from  them  found  in 
the  works  of  other  writers  of  reputation; — Anderson,  Bakewell,  Barnes,  Barrow, 
Bischoff,  Blacklock,  Bourgoing,  Bright,  Carr,  Coventry,  Culley,  Cunningham, 
D'Arboval,  Darwin,  Daubenton,  Dick,  Ellman,  Gasparin,  Gilbert,  Goese,  Harrison, 
Hogo-,  Hood,  Howitt,  Hubbard,  Jacob,  Lang,  Lasteyrie,  Leeuwenhoek,  Lichsten- 
stein,  Linnaeus,  Low,  Luccock,  Maitland,  Malte-Brun,  INIcCulloch,  Moffat, 
McKenzie,  Paget,  Parkinson,  Parry,  Petri,  Pictet,  Powell,  Reaumur,  Kodolphi, 
Sinclair,  Slade,  Southey,  Spallanzani,  Spooner,  Stephens,  Swaine,  Trail,  Trimmer, 
Valasnieri,  Vanderdonk,  Von  Thaiir,  Walz,  Western,  Willmer  &  Smith,  Youatt, 
Young,  and  some  others.  Of  our  domestic  writers,  I  have  aimed  to  consult  all  of 
the  most  prominent  ones.  It  is  not  necessary  to  enumerate  them,  extending,  as  the 
list  would,  to  hundreds. 

The  examination  of  these  writers,  foreign  and  domestic,  has  been  no  recent  under- 
takinor  with  me.  For  years,  I  have  found  it  a  source  both  of  instruction  and  plea- 
sure, to  peruse  their  works.  Where  they  have  proposed  any  thing  new  to  me,  which 
I  thoucrht  promised  favorable  results,  I  have  usually  sought  the  first  opportunity  to 
put  their  propositions  to  the  expert tnentum  cruets  of  actual  trial.  I  have  often  thus 
learned  valuable  facts.  But  I  have  nearly  or  quite  as  often  ascertained  that  what 
may  be  true  of  one  breed,  in  one  climate,  or  under  one  set  of  circumstances,  is  not 
true  when  all  or  a  part  of  these  conditions  are  changed.  The  English  and  German 
systems  of  management,  for  example,  I  regard  as  almost  wholly  inapplicable  here, 
on  account  of  the  entire  different  relation  which  the  prices  of  land  and  labor  bear 
toward  each  other  in  those  countries  and  our  own.  And  I  sometimes  have  had  the 
conviction  forced  upon  me,  that  writers  even  of  reputition  have  assumed  positions 
in  relation  to  practical  matters,  which  they  must  have  derived  from  other  sources 
than  direct  personal  experience. 

While  I  have  carefully  reviewed  and  collated  the  opinions  of  other  writers  on 
doubtful  practical  points,  I  have  in  all  instances,  as  will  be  seen  in  the  following 
pages,  preferred  the  results  of  personal  experience  and  observation,  to  adverse 
authority,  however  eminent.  Compilations,  it  seems  to  me,  are  sufficiently  abun- 
dant, and  I  have  thought  it  better  to  give  my  own  opinions,  leaving  them  to  stand  or 
fall,  as  they  shall  be  found  accurate  or  inaccurate.  Where  I  have  found  it  necessary 
to  rely  on  others  for  any  fact,  or  have  quoted  their  opinions,  I  have  uniformly  given 
them  credit.  To  my  kind  correspondents,  particularly  my  Southern  correspondents 
— many  of  whose  communications  are  not  published  on  account  of  their  reluctance 


12  INTRODUCTION. 


to  be  cited  as  authority  for  facts,  where  their  modesty  leads  them  to  underrate  their 
own  comparative  knowledge  and  experience — I  tender  my  thanks  for  their 
assistance. 

I  have  addressed  the  Letters  to  Col.  R.  F.  W.  Allston,  of  Waccamaco  Beach, 
near  Georgetovrn,  South  Carolina — a  gentleman  to  whom  I  am  indebted  for  much 
valuable  information  on  the  subject  of  Southern  Agriculture,  and  who  has  ever 
evinced  a  most  earnest  desire  to  contribute  to  the  improvement  of  that  Agriculture. 

HENRY  S.  RANDALL. 

Cortland  Village,  N.  Y.,  April  3, 1848. 


CONTENTS. 


LETTER  I.  "^  -^  ^^ 

Effect  of  Climate  on  the  Health  axd  Wool-prodccixg  Qcalities  of  Sheep.  15 

LETTER  11. 
Etpkct  of  Climate  (continued) 23 

LETTER  in. 

Adaptation  of  the  Soils,  Herbage,  &c.,  of  the  Southehit  States  to  Sheep 

Hlsbandht. — 1.  Of  the  Low  or  Tide-water  Region 30 

LETTER  IV. 

The  Adaptation  of  the  Soils,  Herbage,  &c.,  of  the  Sotthehn  States  to 
SffEEP  HcsBAXDRT,  (conUDued.) — 2.  Of  the  Middle  or  Hilli  Zone. — 
3.  Of  the  Mountain  Region 42 

LETTER  V. 

Profits   of  Sheep  Husbandht  in  the  Southern  States. — 1.  Direct  Profit 

on  Capital  invested 52 

LETTER  VL 

Profits  of  Sheep  Husbandrt  in  the  Southern  States. — 2,  As  the  Basis  of 

Amelioration  in  Naturally  Sterile  and  Worn-out  Soils 66 

LETTER  VII. 

Profits  of  Sheep  Husbandry  in  the  Southern  States. — 3.  Br  Giving  to 
Southern  Agriculture  a  Mixed  and  Convertible  Character. — 4.  Br 
Furnishing  the  Raw  Material  for  the  Manufacture  op  Domestic 
Woollens »....;..  .78 

LETTER  Vni. 

Pbospects  of  the  Wool  Market — Future  Demaitd  and  Supply 94 

U 


14  CONTENTS. 

Page 

LETTER  IX. 

Prospects  of  the  Wool  Market — Future  Demand  and  Supply 108 

LETTER  X. 
Breeds  of  Sheep  in  the  United  States , 129 

LETTER  XL 

The    Most   Profitable    Breed    of    Sheep   for    the    South — Principles    of 

Breeding 1^3 


LETTER  XIL 
Summer  Management  of  Sheep 173 

LETTER  XIIL 
Winter  Management  of  Sheep 197 

LETTER  XIV. 
Anatomy  and  Diseases  of  Sheep 219 

LETTER  XV. 
Anatomy  of  the  Sheep,  (continued.) — Diseases  and  their  Treatment 234 

LETTER  XVL  ' 

Diseases  and  their  Treatjient,  (continued) 254 

LETTER  XVII. 
Sheep  Dogs,  Wool  Depots,  &c 278 


APPENDIX 297 


SHEEP  HUSBANDHY 


IN 


THE  SOUTH. 


LETTER  I. 

EFFECT   OF   CLIMATE    ON   THE  HEALTH  AND  WOOL-PRODUCING 

aUALITIES  OP  SHEEP. 


introductory  Remark*. ..Wool-Growin?  and  Manufacturing  Statistics  of  the  Southern  States  compared 
with  ih<i9f  of  New-York. .. Effect  of  Warm  Climates  on  the  Health  of  Sheep.  ..Sheep  in  the  Southern 
States  below  latitude  'Si°. .  .Eflect  of  CUmate  on  Wool-Producing  Qualities  of  Sheoj) — on  the  Quantity  of 
the  Wool...  Weight  of  Fleeces  in  the  Southern  States  indicated  hy  U.  S.  Census  of  ]tf40 — Importunt  Oniis- 
gions  in  that  Census — Other  important  Errors  in  it.  ..Tahle  of  Weights  of  Fleeces  in  Four  Counties  where 
they  average  highest  in  each  of  the  Southern  States  and  m  New-York — Latitude,  Topography  and  Climate 
of  those  Counties- .  -Warmth  of  Climate  conducive  to  the  Production  of  Wool— Reasons. 

R.  F.  W.  Allston,  Esq— 

Dear  Sir :  That  spirit  which  prompts  communities  and  States  to  at- 
tempt to  render  themselves  independent,  so  far  as  the  supply  of  physical 
wants  is  concerned,  of  other  communities  and  States,  is  an  eminently 
proper  one,  up  to  certain  limits.  Beyond  these, it  degenerates  into  mere 
Bectional  selfishness,  as  deserving  of  reprobation  in  the  community  as  in 
the  individual — nay,  more  so,  for  it  militates  more  widely  against  the  in- 
terests and  happiness  of  mankind.  Agriculture  suyiplies  the  most  of  our 
physical  wants  which  are  not  administered  to  sjiontaneously  by  Nature. 
In  this  Gfreat  department  of  human  labor,it  is  not  diilicult  to  decide  how  far 
tho  inhabitants  of  each  particular  region  are  called  upon  to  rear  from  the 
earth  what  their  wants  require.  Nature  herself  has,  in  the  distribution  of 
soils  and  climates,  both  indicated  and  limited  the  production  of  many  of 
the  agricultural  staples,  by  geographical  boundaries,  sometimes  topically 

15 


Library 
N.  C.  State  College 


16  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY    IN    THE    SOUTH. 

and  sometimes  bywhole  regions.  This  compels  those  pi-acticing  Agricul- 
ture, both  as  individuals  and  masses,  to  make  that  "  division  of  labor " 
which,  as  in  the  mechanic  arts,  gives  a  better  knowledge  of  its  principles 
and  a  greater  expertness  in  its  practical  manipulations.  It  also  creates 
the  necessity  of  exchange.  Exchange  is  commerce,  and  commerce  begets 
and  diffuses  civilization. 

Agi-icultural  production,  then,  should  be  controlled  by  the  demand  or 
want,  and  by  the  adaptation  of  the  country  to  such  production.  It  would 
be  absurd,  for  example,  for  New-York  to  attempt  to  raise  its  own  rice 
and  cotton,  instead  of  exchanging  the  surplus  of  what  it  can  most  readily 
produce  for  that  rice  and  cotton,  or  selling  its  surplus  where  it  is  wanted, 
and  buying  the  rice  and  cotton  with  the  proceeds.  But,  on  the  other  hand, 
it  would  be  equally  absurd  for  New-York  to  be  dependent  on  South 
America  or  Australia  for  her  wools,  when  she  can  raise  that  staple  just  as 
well  as  those  countries,  and  thus  save  paying  for  transportation  and  the 
hire  or  commission  of  the  agents  of  exchange. 

Though  Nature  both  indicates  and  limits  the  production  of  staples  by 
soils  and  climates,  she  too  rigidly  enforces  the  primal  cui-se,  or  perhaps 
we  should  say  blessing,  of  labor,  to  bring  forth  each,  indigenously,  in  the 
regions  adapted  to  it,  or  ever  to  place  them  there,  unless  transported  by 
the  enterprise  and  industry  of  man.  The  potato  and  maize  were  a  recent 
gift  from  this  continent  to  the  eastern.  The  debt  has  been  repaid  by  rice, 
the  sugar  cane,  the  horse,  the  cow,  the  sheep,  and  a  multitude  of  other 
plants  and  animals.  How  singular  is  the  history  of  some  of  their  deporta- 
tions !  The  sugar  cane,  now  furnishing  an  important  staple  in  some  of  our 
own  Southern  States,  originated  in  the  eastern  confines  of  Asia;  was  not 
vouchsafed  to  the  Greek  and  Roman  ;  traveled  into  Arabia  about  the 
last  of  the  thirteenth  century ;  passed  thence  into  Africa  ;  was  carried 
by  the  Moors  into  Spain ;  by  the  Spaniards  and  Portuguese  into  the  West 
India  Islands ;  and  thence  we  received  it.  Rice,  the  gi'eat  staple  of 
your  own  State,  sir,  a  plant  of  which  it  has  been  said  that  it  "  has  altered 
the  face  of  the  globe  and  the  destiny  of  nations,"  originated  also  in  Asia, 
and  has  traveled  by  the  same  slow  stages,  until  it  has  reached  that  low 
zone  which  skirts  our  south-eastern  shores,  to  render  its  vast  marshes,  oth- 
erwise useless,  as  profitably  productive  as  the  best  grain  or  cotton  lands 
of  the  Southern  States. 

Here,  sir,  we  find  an  instructive  lesson.  Other  regions  there  are  in  our 
Southern  States,  now,  nearly  as  useless  as  would  be  her  "  hammocks  " 
without  rice,  inviting  the  introduction  of  some  other  great  staple  to  sup- 
ply, if  feasible,  a  home  demand,  and  a  surplus  for  profitable  exportation. 
If  this  gi'eat  object  can  be  achieved,  and  by  the  same  means,  the  husbandry 
of  the  regions  now  under  cultivation  be  made  to  assume  that  mixed  and 
convertible  character  which  will  both  add  to  their  present  pi'oceeds,  and 
better  sustain  their  fertility,  for  future  demands  on  them,  a  benefit  will  be 
conferred  on  the  South  the  present  and  final  results  of  which  it  would 
be  difficult  to  ovei-estimate.  Repudiating  theoretic  speculation  and  vague 
conjecture — advancing  just  so  far  and  no  farther  than  we  find  our  way 
illumined  by  the  broad  and  certain  light  of  facts,  let  us  inquire  what  im- 
portant staple  there  is,  not  now  extensively  produced  at  the  South,  which 
would  come  within  and  at  the  same  time  fill  the  requirements  I  have  men- 
tioned. 

Woolen  fabrics  constitute  an  important  item  in  the  imports  of  the  South- 
em  States,  and  for  these  they  exchange  the  proceeds  of  no  inconsiderable 
proportion  of  their  industry  with  the  Northern  States  and  with  Europe. 

The  following  table  will  exhibit  the  population,  and  the  amount  of  home 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


17 


production  in 
States    south 
eluding  Louis* 
the   statistics 
same  year : 


those  staples,  nccording  to  the  U.  S.  census  of  IS  10,  in  the 
of  the  Ohio  and  Potomac,  and  west  of  the  Mis.sissippi,  (in- 
iana,)  in  18."{9.  To  these  are  added,  by  way  of  c()ni[)arison, 
of  the  State   of  New-York,  under  the  same  heads,  for  the 


TABLE  No.  1. 


States. 

Population. 

No.  of  Sheep. 

Lbs.  of  Wool. 

No.  of  Woolen 
Faitorien. 

Value  iif  H'liolm 
AJuniifactartd 
Goods. 

1,239.797 
7.->3.419 
594.398 
691.392 
54,477 
590,7.56 
37.5,6.51 
3.52,411 
829.210 
779,825 

1,293,772 
538,279 
232,981 
267,107 
7,198 
163,243 
128,367 
98,072 
741,593 

1,008.240 

2,.538.374 

625,044 

299,170 

371,303 

7,285 

220.3.53 

17.5.106 

49.283 

1,060.332 

1,786,847 

41 
3 
3 

1 

26 

40 

147.792 
3.900 
1.000 
3,000 

14,000 
151,246 

North  Carolina. .. 
South  Carolina  . .. 

Florida 

Alabama 

Mississippi 

Louisiana 

Tennessee 

Keulucky 

Total 

6.261.336 

4,478,8.52 

7,133,187 

114 

320.938 

Ni'wYork 

2.428.921 

5.118.777 

9845.295 

323 

3, .537,337 

The  above  is  only  given  to  indicate  approximate  general  results  ;  for, 
as  I  shall  subsequently  show,  the  returns  of  the  product  of  wool  are  inac- 
curate to  the  last  degi-ee. 

The  question  now  arises,  whence  the  immense  disparity  in  the  growth 
and  manufacturing  of  wool  in  the  State  of  New-York,  comprising  46,000 
square  miles  of  temtory,  and  less  than  two  and  a  half  millions  of  popula- 
lation,  and  the  ten  States  above  enumerated,  covering  an  area  of  495,000 
square  miles,  and  exceeding  six  millions  of  population  %  Is  the  growing  of 
wool,  (for  we  will  first  consider  this,  as  the  main  question,  leaving  the  sub- 
ject of  manufacturing  for  subsequent  examination,)  to  its  present  extent, 
profitable  or  unprofitable  in  the  State  of  New-York  "?  I  contend,  and  shall 
attempt  to  prove,  that  taking  a  term  of  say  ten  or  fifteen  years,  it  has  been 
the  most  pnjfitable  branch  of  industiy  earned  on  in  the  State.  If  this  is 
true,  why  is  it  not  equally  profitable  in  the  Southern  States  1*  Is  there 
anything  in  their  climate  which  renders  them  less  favorable  to  the  health 
or  wool-producing  qualities  of  the  sheep — or  is  there  anything  in  their 
topographical  features,  soils,  herbage,  or  other  circumstances,  which  unfits 
them  for  a  natural  and  easy  adaptation  to  sheep  husbandry  1  Or  have 
they  other  staples  so  much  more  profitable  that  it  is  not  an  object  to  grow 
"wool  ? 

Having  bestowed  some  attention  on  these  points,  and  having  been  prac- 
tically familiar  with  the  most  minute  details  of  sheep  husbandry  from  my 
childhood,  I  have  thought  that  the  conclusions  I  have  arrived  at,  and  the 
facts  on  which  I  have  based  them,  might  not  be  uninteresting  to  you.  To 
bring  these  facts  connectedly  before  you,  I  shall  necessarily  be  driven  to 
repeat  some  matter  from  my  own  and  the  writings  of  others,  which  you 
have  doubtless  before  seen  in  the  publications  of  the  day. 

Let  us  now  take  up  the  first  of  the  two  preceding  questions ;  and  first  I 
will  call  your  attention  to  the  effect  of  Climate. 

Sheep  have  been  bred,  time  out  of  mind,  on  the  Eastern  Continent, 
from  the  Equator  to  the  65th  degi-ce  of  north  latitude,  from  the  buming 
plains  of  Africa  and  Asia,  to  the  almost  perpetual  frosts  of  Iceland.  The 
Merino,  (the  different  families  of  which,  as  will  be  shown,  constitute  the 
only  varieties  suitable  for  wool  growing  on  a  scale  of  any  considerable 
extent,)  has  been  bred  in  Europe,  for  ages,  as  far  south  as  between  the 

*  When  I  use  the  words  "  fontheni  States,"  without  farther  specificatiou,  you  will  understand  me  to 
tnean  the  ton  enumerated  in  Tuble  1st. 

(651)  C 


18  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


36th  and  37th  parallels  of  latitude,  and  has,  wthin  the  last  few  years,  been 
acclimated  \^^th  perfect  success  as  far  nortli  as  various  points  in  Sweden- 

If  any  difficulty  exists  in  the  climate  of  the  United  States,  rendering  it 
unsuitable  for  the  rearing  of  sheep  and  wool,  it  must  be  its  heat ;  and  this 
must  afiect  the  wool-producing  qualities  of  the  animal  alone,  and  not  its 
health,  as  the  following  facts  will  show.  There  were  upward  of  660,000 
sheep  in  the  five  most  southera  States,  in  1839.  In  Florida,  they  have 
been  acclimated  as  far  south  as  the  29th  degree.  In  Louisiana,  Mississippi, 
Alabama,  and  Georgia,  they  not  only  flourish  in  the  northern  and  more 
elevated  sections,  but  on  the  low,  fenny,  tide-water  region  which  skirts  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico.  In  the  above  five  States  there  were,  in  1839,  upward  of 
190,000  sheep  below  the  32d  degree  of  latitude,  viz.  :  in  Georgia  32,986, 
Florida  7,198,  Alabama  22,053,  Mississippi  56,780,  Louisiana  81,627.* 
They  graze  with  equal  impunity  the  vegetation  on  the  margin  of  the 
Great  Okefinokee  Swamp  (in  Georgia  and  Floi-ida)  and  on  that  which 
rankly  flourishes  among  the  ooze  at  the  mouths  of  the  Mississippi.  It  may 
interest  some  less  acquainted  than  you  are,  sir,  with  this  subject,  to  know 
that  in  1839  the  county  in  which  New-Orleans  stands  (Oi'leans)  contained 
1,807  sheep;  Jefferson,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  6,871  ;  St.  Ber- 
nard, extending  from  Orleans  to  the  Gulf,  1,154 ;  Plaquemine,  almost  sur- 
rounded by  the  waters  of  the  Gulf,  and  comprising  the  delta  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, 1,832  ;  Lafourche  Interior,  on  the  Gulf,  1,253  ;  Terrebonne,  another 
Gulf  county,  1,013;  St.  Mary's,  another,  8,211;  and  La  Fayette,  another, 
2,622.t 

No  portion  of  the  United  States  is  lower,  hotter,  or  more  unhealthy, 
than  much  of  the  preceding,  and  none,  according  to  commonly  received 
notions,  would  be  more  unsuited  to  the  healthy  production  of  sheep.  Yet, 
that  they  are  healthy  in  these  situations  is  a  matter  of  pei-fect  notoriety  to 
all  conversant  with  the  facts.  So  far  as  health  is  conceiTied,  then,  we  are 
assuredly  authorized  to  assume  the  position  that  no  portion  of  the  United 
States  is  too  warm  for  sheep. 

We  come  now  to  the  effect  of  climate  on  the  wool-producing  qualities 
of  the  animal.  Assuming  the  census  returns  of  the  United  States  in  1840 
as  reliable  data,  they  would  furnish  strong  proof  that  the  warmth  of  the 
climate  has  a  marked  effect  in  diminishing  the  weight  of  wool  per  sheep  ; 
and  they  have  been  adduced  as  furnishing  conclusive  evidence  to  that  ef- 
fect, by  persons  more  accustomed  to  broa.d  assertion  than  patient  investi- 
gation. 

The  following  vnW  give  the  weight  of  wool  per  head  in  the  States  enu- 
merated in  Table  No.  1,  estimated  from  the  census  returns  of  1840  : 

TABLE  No.  2. 


Lbs.    Oi. 

Virginia 1     7  845 

North  Carolina 1     2  221 

South  Carolina 1    3  539 

Georgia 1     4  487 

Florida 1    0  410 


Lbs.  Oz. 

Alabama 1  4  146 

Mississippi 1  4  227 

Loaisiana 0  8  040 

Tennessee 1  4  809 

Kentucky 1  6  971 


New-York lib.  7  680 


But  an  examination  of  the  census  will  show  that  so  far  as  several  of 
these  States  are  concerned,  it  is  entitled  to  very  little  credit,  in  this  par- 
ticular, and  that  it  is  correct  in  relation  to  none  of  them. 

In  Louisiana,  in  fourteen  counties  from  which  30,261  sheep,  or  nearly 
one-third  in  the  whole  State,  are  returned,  not  a  pound  of  wool  is  returned. 

In  Florida,  four  counties,  returning  228  sheep,  return  no  wool.     Let  us 

U.  S.  Census,  1840.  t  lb. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  19 

examine  the  comparative  products,  per  head,  as  set  forth  in  some  of  the 
counties  from  which  returns  of  sheep  and  wool  are  both  made,  with  a  view 
of  testiiic^  their  accuracy.  Escambia  returns  485  sheep,  and  837  lbs.  of 
wool ;  Walton  386  sheep,  and  575  lbs.  of  wool ;  Leon  1,798  sheep,  and 
3,360  lbs.  of  wool — or  an  approximation  to  2  lbs.  of  wool  per  head.  Nas- 
sau returns  436  sheep,  and  1,200  lbs.  of  wool,  or  about  3  lbs.  per  head. 
On  the  other  hand,  Gadsden  returns  1,875  sheep,  and  512  lbs.  of  wool; 
Jefferson  752  sheep,  and  300  lbs.  of  wool ;  Madison  223  sheep,  and  50  lbs. 
of  wool ;  Jackson  960  sheep,  and  376  lbs.  of  wool,  or  not  quite  a  third  of 
a  pound  per  fleece  !  Now  Leon  is  bounded  on  the  west  by  Gadsden,  and 
on  the  east  by  Jefferson,  and  all  lie  in  the  same  latitude,  and  do  not  differ 
essentially  in  their  soil,  herbage,  or  temperature  !  Madison  lies  imme- 
diately east  of  Jefferson,  (though  its  southern  angle  extends  somewhat 
farther  south.)  and  Jackson  joins  Walton.  Nassau  is  in  the  same  latitude. 
Hamilton,  returning  no  sheep,  returns  the  product  as  20  lbs.  of  wool  ! 

In  Mississippi,  eight  counties  returning  15,227  sheep,  return  no  wool; 
and  there  are  repeated  instances  of  the  same  glaringly  obvious  errors  that 
have  been  exhibited  in  the  statistics  of  Florida.  For  example.  Smith 
county  returns  741  sheep,  and  1,067  lbs.  of  wool;  Wayne  921  sheep,  and 
1,466  lbs.  of  wool.  Jasper,  bounding  Smith  on  the  east,  returns  1,848 
sheep,  and  418  lbs.  of  Wool;  and  Clarke,  bounding  Wayne  on  the  north, 
1,199  sheep,  and  188  lbs.  of  wool !  By  this,the  sheep  of  Clarke  shear  less 
than  3  oz.  per  head,  while  those  of  the  next  county  shear  over  a  pound 
and  a  half  per  head.  There  are  various  other  instances  of  under  returas 
in  the  State.  ^ 

In  Alabama,  two  counties  retaining  2,138  sheep,  return  no  wool ;  and 
in  eight  counties  there  are  the  same  glaiing  instances  of  under  returns  with 
those  given  above. 

In  Georgia  there  is  but  one  omission  to  return  the  wool,  where  the 
sheep  are  returned.  In  that  county  there  were  3,360  sheep.  There  are 
eight  or  nine  instances  of  obvious  under  returns,  but  these  in  the  aggre- 
gate of  the  State  are  partly  balanced  by  two  gross  cases  of  over  returns. 
Cobb  county  returns  3,524  sheep,  and  36,057  lbs.  of  wool ;  and  Richmond 
758  sheep,  and  3,032  lbs.  of  wool ! 

In  South  Carolina  there  are  at  least  six  instances  of  under  returns. 

In  North  Carolina  there  are  no  returns  of  wool  in  one  county,  contain- 
ing 2,163  sheep,  and  in  another  7,260  lbs.  of  wool  are  returned,  and  no 
sheep.  There  are  ten  cases  of  obvious  under  returns.  In  one  of  them 
46,340  sheep  are  made  to  yield  but  12,686  lbs.  of  wool. 

In  Virginia  there  are  no  omissions,  and  no  obvious  under  returns.  There 
are  several  over  returns. 

In  Tennessee  there  are  no  omissions,  but  there  are  seven  obvious  undei 
returns  and  two  or  three  over  returns. 

In  Kentucky  and  New-York  there  are  not  sufficient  erroneous  returns 
to  materially  vary  the  aggregate. 

The  foregoing  facts  show  that  the   Marshals  in   many  counties   in  the 
most  southern  States  entirely  neglected  their  duty  in  returning  the  pro 
duct  of  wool ;  and  where  over  or  under  returns  have  been  made,  it  is 
probable  that,  by  a  misapprehension  of  duty,  the  amount  of  wool  on  liand 
was  ascertained  and  noted  dowTi,  instead  of  the  annual  clip. 

And  there  is  another  and  general  en'or  in  these  statistics,  throughout  all 
the  States,  by  the  census  including  in  the  number  of  sheep  the  lambs  of 
the  current  season,  which  had  not,  of  course,  been  sheared  at  the  time  of 
taking  the  census.  A,  at  the  time  of  taking  the  census,  owned  a  flock  of 
200  sheep  over  one  year  old,  and  100  lambs.     He  would  give  in  his  flock 


20 


SHEEP   HUSBANDRY    IN    THE    SOUTH. 


to  the  Marshal  as  300,  of  course,  for  the  census  makes  no  distinction  be- 
tween lambs  and  grown  sheep.  He  gave  in  600  lbs.  of  wool,  which  would 
be  3  lbs.  per  head  for  those  which  had  been  sheared.  But  by  the  lambs 
being  included  in  the  census  returns,  it  is  made  to  appear  that  his  sheep 
sheared  but  2  lbs.  of  wool  per  head.  In  the  next  census  the  lambs  and 
sheep  should  be  separately  returned,  not  only  to  obtain  accuracy,  (without 
which  such  statistics  are  valueless,)  but  the  annual  increase  thus  indicated 
would  be,  of  itself,  an  interesting  and  valuable  statistic. 

In  the  preceding  enumeration  of  erroneous  returns,  I  have  set  dowTi 
none  as  under  returns  where  the  product  of  wool  has  not  been  given  as 
less  than  a  pound  per  head ;  and  where  it  has  fallen  under  that  amount, 
the  returns  from  contiguous  counties,  possessing  the  same  natural  features, 
exhibiting  a  far  superior  product,  as  well  as  the  general  complexion  of  the 
returns  throughout  the  State,  have  authorized  me  beyond  a  reasonable 
doubt  so  to  consider  it.  I  may  add,  that  it  is  a  fact  of  universal  notoriety 
that  there  is  no  variety  of  sheep  in  any  section  of  the  United  States,  W' hick 
shears  but  a  pound  of  wool  pfer  head.*  A  careful  inspection  of  the  census, 
moreover,  will  not  fail  to  satisfy  any  one  that  there  are  a  multitude  of  under 
returns,  (not  specified  by  me,  as  the  product  is  given  over  1  lb.  of  wool  per 
head,)  in  most  of  the  States.  This  is  shown  by  the  same  kind  of  comjDari- 
sons  which  have  already  been  alluded  to.  These  are  far  more  common  in 
the  extreme  Southera  States,  where  wool  gi'owing  had  not  yet  (in  1839) 
been  reduced  to  any  system,  and  where  sheep  had  been  little  looked  after 
or  regarded.  These  eiTors  grow  less,  as  we  approach  the  wool-growing 
regions  of  the  north  and  north-west. 

Taking  those  returns  which  we  are  authorized  to  consider  coiTect,+  it 
will  appear  that  there  is  no  great  difference  in  the  average  product  of  wool, 
per  head,  in  States  separated  by  fi-om  ten  to  fifteen  degrees  of  latitude, 
and  no  more  than  is  clearly  referable  to  incidental  or  extraneous  causes, 
unless  we  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  difference  is  in  favor  of  the 
Southern  States.  In  proof  of  this,  the  following  table  is  offered,  giving 
the  products  of  some  of  those  counties  in  each  of  the  States  enumerated 
in  Tables  No.  1  and  No.  2,  which  exhibit  the  highest  averages  per  head, 
(excluding  those  obviously  over  returned.)^ 

TABLE  No.  3. 


> 

State. 

COUNTV. 

Average  Weight  of  Wool 
per  Sheep. 

Total  average  of 
the  Counties  givenW 

Virginia < 

'  Fauquier 

Hanison 

Ohio 

Lbs.             Oz. 
9        O  2  2  5  0 
^        -^7011 
9        0   905  6 
'^        "35TT9 
9        9    1050 
'^        '^26  689 
O         14  6  4  9 
■^        ^479T 

Lbs.      Oz. 

2     H 

Rockingham. .  . 

\ 
North  Carolina < 

'  Currituck 

Person 

Perquimans  - .  . 
^  Tyrrel 

9       7443 
'^        '459 

''        ^3027 
1      10  2  2  9  2 
^     -^-2383 

^        "^1947 

2     0 

*  I  consider  such  to  be  under  returns,  independent  of  the  mistake  made  by  including  lambs  in  the 
enumeration, 

t  With  the  exception  of  the  error  arising  from  the  return  of  lambs— which  perhaps  would  not  greatly 
vary  the  proportionable  result. 

Jit  is  proper  to  say  that  though  I  designed  to  take  the  highest  averages,  I  did  not  go  through  a  formal 
reckoning  of  the  average  in  every  county  in  the  eleven  States.  I  took  those  which  appeared  the  highest, 
after  a  somewhat  careful  general  inspection. 

II  Excluding  the  fractions  of  the  ounces  in  preceding  column. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


21 


TABLE  No.  3— (Continned.) 


Average  tVeiKht  of  Wool 


South  Carolina. 


Beaufort  . .  . 
Darliiic^ton  . 
(icoroji'town 
Richlaml  . . . 


Georgia 


Florida 


Alabama 


Bibb  . . 
Murray 


Ware  . 


Kscambia 
Leon  .... 

Nassau  . . 


C  Blount. . 
J  Jackson. 
J  Autauga 
(^  Greene  . 


Mississippi 


Claiborne 
Hinds  . . . 
PeiTy  .  - . 
Warren . . 


Louisiana 


Tennessee 


Kentucky 


{ 
I 

C  Concordia. . . 

J  St.  Helena  . . 

'  j  St.  Tammany 

(^  Washington  . 


De  Ivalb 
Franklin 
Smith  . . . 
Wilson  . 


Bourbon  . 
Clarke... 
L  awrence 
Scott 


New- York 


Westchester 

Ulster 

Saratoga  . . . 
Orleans  .... 


Lbs.  Oz. 

.  >  V-)  1  "  9  * 

9  4  A^"L-«_ 

'^  *3041 

2  0 
1 


12H!? 


O  306 
1  r  1  1  4 

■^"2013 


1  ll-^''- 

•^  ^  ^  4  S  5 

1  13.^-"V- 

2  1  'i-l-J^- 

'^  ^'^10  9 


1 

'2 
1 

2 


1  tI'* 

fi6  39  0 
"  G  5  ".5"T 

"4  7  4  D 
727  11 


71  ?5 

'  y  5  3 


71361 
'  lo  13 
1  2  3 

1410 


yi  f'  2. 

"^72  9 
76  1  7  9 

'^  1  3  (I  3 
915  0  4  6 
'^19309 


1  I  3H97 

^23  7  19 

1  1  9133 

^^20953 

1 Q2955 

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Taking  these  averages  as  a  test,  it  would  appear  that  the  difference 
between  the  average  products  of  the  Southern  States  and  New  York  is,  in 
some  instances,  in  favor  of  the  former.  Kentucky  in  the  middle,  and  Mis- 
sissippi in  the  extreme  South,  exceed  the  average  of  New  York. 

It  is  proper  to  say,  however,  that  various  local  circumstances  may  have 
effected  these  results,  and 'that  taking  the  average  of  a  considerable  num- 
ber of  counties,  in  tlie  several  States,  would  essentially  vary  them.  Not- 
withstanding this,  the  testimony  which  they  offer  is  important,  and  be- 
comes more  so  regarded  in  connection  with  another  circumstance.  The 
comparative  statistics  of  the  extreme  Southeni  States  themselves  show 
that  in  a  majority  of  cases  their  best  products  of  wool  come  from  their 
Southern  and  warmer  counties. 

Of  the  four  counties  in  Louisiana,  the  product  of  which  is  given  above. 


22  SHEEP    HUSBANDRY   IN    THE    SOUTH. 

the  most  noithern  lies  between  the  31st  and  32d  degrees  of  latitude,  and 
all  of  the  other  three  south  of  latitude  31°.  St.  Tammany,  which  exhibits 
the  second  best  product,  borders  on  Lake  Pontchartrain.  The  State  ex- 
tends north  to  latitude  33°. 

In  Florida,  all  the  counties  given  lie  in  the  same  latitudes. 

Mississippi  extends  north  to  latitude  35°.  All  the  counties  given  are 
south  of  32°  30',  and  one  in  latitude  31°. 

In  Alabama,  extending  north  to  the  same  latitude  vnth  the  above,  two 
of  the  counties  given  are  in  the  northern  or  mountain  region,  and  two  of 
them  south  of  33°. 

In  Georgia,  (same  northern  line,)  one  of  the  counties  given  is  in  the  ex- 
treme north,  two  south  of  33°  and  one  in  latitude  31°,  being  the  county 
in  which  lies  the  major  portion  of  the  Great  Okefinokee  Swamp  ! 

In  South  Carolina,  two  of  the  counties  (both  bordering  on  the  ocean) 
are  in  the  low,  marshy,  tide-water  region ;  and  the  other  two  are  in  the 
central  region. 

In  North  Carolina,two  of  the  counties  given  join  the  ocean;  one  is  on  Albe- 
marle Sound,  wl)ile  one  lies  in  the  central  and  northern  portion  of  the  State. 

In  comparing  the  product  of  wool  in  the  Southern  States  with  that  of 
the  Northern — and  more  particularly  with  that  of  New- York — we  must 
not  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that  in  the  latter  wool  growing  has  become  an 
important  business,  and  is  reduced  to  a  system.  The  sheep  are  kept  in 
pastures,  and  are  sheared  at  regular  intei-vals.  In  the  Carolinas,  Georgia, 
and  the  Gulf  States,  precisely  the  reverse  of  all  this  was  generally  true, 
at  least  up  to  the  year  1839.  The  sheep  were  little  cared  for;  were  suf- 
fered to  breed  promiscuously  ;  and  they  roamed  at  large  through  forests, 
where,  as  the  warm  season  advanced  in  the  spring,  their  wool,  beginning 
to  detach  itself,  was  left  on  shrubs  and  brambles,  and  in  not  rare  instances 
considerable  portions  of  it  were  thus  lost  prior  to  shearing.* 

Giving  their  due  weight  to  the  preceding  facts,  the  defects  in  the  census, 
etc.,  it  is,  I  think,  undeniable  that  they  account  for  all  the  deficiency  in 
the  average  product  of  wool  per  sheep  iji  our  most  southern  States,  com- 
pared with  that  of  New-York,  as  set  forth  in  Table  No.  2.  Indeed,  sir, 
my  own  convictions  are  decided,  and  the  facts  reported  appear  to  fully 
sustain  them,  that  warmth  of  temperature,  at  least  to  a  point  equaling  the 
highest  mean  temperature  in  the  United  States,  is  not  injurious,  but  abso- 
lutely conducive  to  the  production  of  wool.  The  causes  of  this  are  in- 
volved in  no  mystery.  Warm  climates  afford  green  and  succulent  herb- 
age during  a  greater  portion  of  the  year  than  cold  ones.  Sheep  plentifully 
supplied  with  green  hei'bage  keep  in  higher  condition  than  when  confined 
to  that  which  is  diy.  High  condition  promotes  those  secretions  which  form 
wool.  Every  one  at  all  conversant  with  sheep  well  knows  that  if  kept 
fleshy  the  year  round,  they  produce  far  more  wool  than  if  kept  poor.  A 
half  a  pound's  difference  per  head  is  readily  made  in  this  way.  Within 
the  maximum  and  minimum  of  the  product  of  a  sheep  or  a  flock,  the  ra- 
tio of  production  always  coincides  with  that  of  condition. 

I  have  dwelt  on  this  point  at  great  and  perhaps  tedious  length,  sir,  as 
the  results  set  forth  in  the  United  States  Census,  unexplained,  would 
clearly  point  to  a  different  conclusion  from  that  to  which  I  have  anived. 
To  invalidate  testimony,  ostensibly  so  certain  and  reliable,  as  well  as  to 
combat  deep-rooted  prejudices,  I  hav6  deemed  it  necessary  to  scan  thor- 
oughly the  accessible  facts  in  the  case. 


*  I  make  no  account  of  difference  in  breeds,  as  affecting  the  product  of  wool  between  the  South  and 
North.  The  p^ade  Merinos,  not  uncommon  in  New-York,  would  produce  far  more  wool  than  the  "  na- 
tives," the  principal  sheep  in  the  Souih  in  1839.  But  the  latter  would  equal  or  exceed  the  product  of  tha 
numerous  Saxon  flocks  of  New-York. 


SHEEP    HUSBANDRY    IN    THE    SOUTIL 


LETTER  II. 

EFFECT   OF   CLIMATE,  CONTINUED. 


Kffect  of  Climate  on  qnslity  of  Wool . . .  WBrmth  of  ClirriRte  renders  Wool  coarser— Rensona . . . Effect  of 
Herbage.  ..Oiiiniona  III'  Vduiilt — Ducior  I'arry  — Kni^lifh  StHplcrs— Writer. .  .Ciin  the  tendency  ti)  grow 
courser  be  re8i.-<ie<l  *..  .Opinions  of  Yuuiitl — I.iisieyiie — Mr.  Lawrence. .  .K.xperiment  in  AuatrHJia— Cape  of 
Good  Hope — .<oiith  of  lllinoia— Keniurky— Tenne.isee — Mississippi— New-Vurk.  ..Warm  Cliinutes  render 
Wools  softer  and  loni;er,  thus  addin;;  iniiierially  lo  their  value.  ..l'ri)ve<i  to  be  tlie  cuae  in  Australia.  ..Tea- 
timonv  of  Kni-IUh  Wool-fuctors  and  tiuplers. ..ijame  effect  produced  iu  the  Uuit<;d  States... Testimony 
of  Mr!  CuckxilL 

Dear  Sir :  We  come  now  to  discuss  the  effect  of  Climate  on  the  quahty 
of  Wool. 

There  can  be  but  little  doubt,  other  things  being  equal,  that  the  pelage 
of  the  Sheep  and  some  other  animals,  becomes  finer  in  cold  climates  and 
coarser  in  warm  ones.  This  is  usually  attributed,  by  theoretical  writers, 
to  the  effect  of  cold  and  heat  in  contracting  or  expanding  the  pores.  This 
may  have  some  effect,  but  to  sujipose  that  the  delicate  tissues  of  the  skin 
can  act,  to  any  great  extent,  meclianically,  in  compressing  the  harder  and 
highly  elastic  ones  of  the  hair  or  wool,  or  compel  their  attenuation  so  as 
to  permit  their  escape  through  diminished  apertures,  like  the  process  of 
wire  drawing,  is,  it  seems  to  me,  to  assume  that  matter  acts  contrary  to 
its  ordinary  laws.  I  am  rather  disposed  to  look  for  the  causes  of  this 
phenomenon,  in  the  amount  and  quality  of  the  luitriment  received  by  the 
animal.  It  was  stated,  in  my  preceding  letter,  that  warm  climates,  by 
affording  succulent  herbage  during  a  greater  portion  of  the  year,  maintain 
in  greater  activity  those  secretions  which  form  wool,  and  thus  increase  the 
quantity  or  weight  of  the  fleece.  The  weight  is  increased  by  increasing 
the  length  and  thickness  of  the  separate  fibres,  just  as  plants  put  forth 
longer  and  thicker  stems  on  rich  soils  than  on  poor  ones. 

Mr.  Youatt,  in  his  excellent  and  much  quoted  work  on  Sheep,  after  dis- 
cussing and  admitting,  to  a  certain  extent,  the  influence  of  warm  tempei*- 
atures  in  rendering  wool  coarser,  says  : 

'•  Pa.sture  ha.s  a  far  greater  influence  on  the  finene,s8  of  the  fleece.  The  staple  of  the  wool, 
like  every  other  part  of  the  sheep,  must  increase  in  lengtli  or  in  bulk  when  the  animal  h;i.s 
a  superabundance  of  nutriment ;  iuiti,  on  the  other  hand,  tlie  secretion  which  forms  the  wool 
must  decrease  like  every  other,  wln-n  sufficient  nourishment  is  not  afforded.  When  little 
cold  has  been  experienced  in  the  winter,  and  vegetation  has  been  scarcely  checked,  the 
sheep  yield  an  abundant  crop  of  wool,  but  the  fleece  is  perceptiblv  coarser  as  well  as 
heavier.  When  frost  h;i8  been  severe  and  the  grotmd  long  covered  with  snow — if  the  flock 
has  been  fairly  supplied  with  nutriinejit,  although  the  fleece  may  have  lost  a  little  in  weight, 
it  will  have  acquired  a  superior  degree  of  fineness  and  a  pi-oportionate  increase  of  value. 
Should,  hf>wever,  the  sheep  have  been  neglected  and  star\ed  during  this  prolongation  of 
cold  weather,  the  Heece  as  well  as  the  carcass  is  thinner ;  and  although  it  may  have  pre- 
served its  sm.'dlness  of  filament,  it  h;is  lost  in  weight  and  strength  and  usefulness.  These 
are  self-evident  facts,  and  neetl  not  be  enforced  by  any  labored  argument."* 

Doct.  Parry,  a  correct  and  able  English  writer,  remarks : 

"  Sheep  breeders  have  observed  a  sort  of  gross  connection  between  the  food  and  qtialtty 
of  the  fleece.  .  .  .  The  fineness  of  a  sheep's  fleece  of  a  given  breed  is,  within  certain 
limits,  inversely  ha  its  fatness,  and  perhaps  also  (althouirh  I  am  not  certain  on  this  point)  as 
the  quickness  with  which  it  grows  fat.  A  sheep  which  is  fat  has  usually  comparatively 
coarse  wool,  and  one  which  is  lean,  either  from  want  of  food  or  disease,  has  the  finest  wool ; 
and  the  verv  same  sheep  may  at  ditfrrent  times,  acordins^  to  th';se  circimistauces,  have 
fleeces  of  all  tlie  intermediate  qualities  from  extreme  fineness  to  comparative  coursouesij." 


*  Youatt  on  Sheep,  p.  70. 


24  SHEEP    HUSBANDRY    IN   THE    SOUTH. 

In  an  examination  before  the  English  House  of  Lords,  in  1828,  various 
eminent  staplers*  testify,  most  decidedly,  to  the  deterioration  (in  fineness) 
of  the  British  wools  and  their  increase  in  length  of  staple,  "  since  the 
introduction  of  artificial  food  and  the  adoption  of  the  forcing  system." 

My  own  observations  fully  corroborate  these  positions.  I  have  exam- 
ined, in  repeated  instances,  vdth  a  good  microscope,  the  wool  of  individ- 
ual sheep  in  my  flock,  taken  in  seasons  when  they  have  maintained  a  high 
condition,  and  in  others,  when,  from  some  incidental  cause  they  have  been 
in  ordinary  or  poor  condition,  and  the  difference  in  length  and  fineness  is, 
uniformly,,  distinctly  perceptible 

If  the  sheep  breeder  in  warm  climates  can  take  advantage  of  the  ten 
dency  to  produce  greater  quantities  of  wool,  following  that  supply  of  suc- 
culent herbage  throughout  the  year  which  Nature  has  placed  at  his  disposal, 
and  at  the  same  time,  by  any  uiiexpensive  means  which  he  can  employ, 
combat  the  correlative  tendency  to  increased  coarseness  of  fibre,  he  has 
most  assuredly,  other  things  being  equal,  an  entire  advantage  over  the 
breeder  in  colder  regions. 

We  come  now  to  the  important  inquiry,  Can  this  latter  tendency  be 
successfully  combated  ;  or,  in  other  words,  can  wool  of  any  desirable 
fineness  be  produced  in  countries  as  warm,  for  example,  as  Louisiana, 
Mississippi,  &;c.  ] 

Let  us  examine  Mr.  Youatt's  testimony  on  this  point  also.     He  says : 

"  Temperature  and  pasture  have  influence  on  the  fineness  of  the  fibre,  and  one  vvhicli  the 
farmer  should  never  disregard  ;  but  he  may,  in  a  great  measure,  counteract  this  influence  by 
careful  management  and  selection  in  breeding.  ...  A  better  illustration  of  this  cannot 
be  found  than  in  the  fact  that  the  Merino  has  been  trausjilanted  to  every  latitude  on  the 
temperate  zone,  and  some  beyond  it — to  Sweden  in  the  North  and  Austraha  in  the  South — 
and  has  retained  its  tendency  to  produce  wool  e.\.clusively,  and  wool  of  ueai-ly  equal  fineness 
and  value. "t 

Mr.  Lasteyrie,  equally  good  autbonty,  uses  the  following  language. 
When  he  speaks  of  the  preservation  of  the  breed  in  its  "  utmost  purity," 
we  are  undoubtedly  to  understand  him  to  refer  as  much  to  the  fineness  of 
the  wool  as  any  other  point,  this  being  the  distinguishing  mark  or  excel- 
lence of  the  breed. 

"  The  preservation  of  the  Merino  race  in  its  utmost  i)urits'  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  in 
the  marshes  of  Holland,  ami  under  the  rigorous  climate  of  Sweden,  furnish  an  additional 
support  of  this,  my  unalterable  principle :  fine  wool  sheep  may  be  kept  wherever  intelli 
gent  breeders  exist.  "| 

Samuel  Lawrence,  Esq.  the  hend  of  the  great  Lowell  Manufactuinng 
Company,  in  Massachusetts,  who,  by  his  vast  purchases  of  fine  wool  in  all 
parts  of  the  United  States  for  a  long  term  of  years,  and  his  intimate  prac- 
tical acquaintance  with  the  quality  of  the  article,  is  entitled  to  have  his 
opinion  on  this  point  regarded  as  of  as  gi'eat  weight  as  that  of  any  other 
individual,  says  : 

"  That  the  properties  of  wool  are  affected  by  heritage  and  soil,  I  have  not  a  doubt,  and 
were  it  not  invidious,  I  would  name  some  sections  where  wool  growers  are  gi'eatly  favored 
by  Nature.  One  thing  is  certain,  whatever  may  be  the  character  of  the  soil,  where  there 
are  gf)od  shepherds  there  is  sure  to  be  found  good  wool.  By  judicious  selections  and  cross- 
ing, I  beUeve  a  breed  may  be  reared  which  will  give  fom-  pomids  of  exquisitely  fine  wool 
to  the  fleece. "II 

This  last  sentence  of  this  important  extract,  though  not  bearing  so  par- 
ticularly on  the  point  under  examination,  is  recorded  in  its  original  con- 
nection for  subsequent  reference. 

Australia  and  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  being  cited  by  the  distinguished 


*  Ynuatt  on  Sheep,  p.  71,  where  the  names  and  testimony  of  these  individuals  are  given  ;  and  more  at 
lensrth  iu  UifcliolT  on  Wools,  Ac,  vol.  ii.  pp.  118—200.  t  Pp-  69—70. 

X  Lasteyrie  on  Merino  Sheep,  p.  101.  U  Letter  of  Mr.  L.,  published  in  "  American  Shepherd,"  p.  436. 


Library 
N.  C.  State   College 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


25 


Enirlish  and  French  writers  above  quoted,  as  offering  instances  of  the  per- 
fectly successful  acclimation  of  Merinos,  without  deterioration  of  their 
Avool,  in  warm  climates,  it  mav  be  well  to  inquire  a  little  more  particularly 
what  the  climate  of  those  countries  is;  and  what,  if  any,  tlio  other  cir- 
cumstances connected  with  them,  having  an  intlucncc  on  the  quality  of 
the  wools  grown  in  them. 

Port  Jackson,  in  Australia,  in   the  vicinity  of  which  the  Merinos   were 
fii-st  introduced,  and  are  now  extensiv«']y  bred,  lies  in  33°  55'  South  lati- 
tude,  corresponding  as  nearly  with   the  latitude  of   Georgetown,   South 
Carolina,  as  that  of  any  othei   important  point  in  our  country.*     In  de 
scribing  this  region  (New  South  Wales)  Make  Brun  says  : 

"  The  coast  itself  is  hisli  bat  not  nioiintaiuoiis  ;  aiul  it  is  partly  shaded  by  trees  of  gigantic 
size.  Toward  the  south-east  a  p-eat  pjirt  is  covered  \\\\\\  cop|iice ;  much  als<.)  is  occupied 
with  mai-shes.  About  Botany  Bayt  tlie  soil  is  black,  rich  anil  exceediiurly  productive  iii 
plants.  The  north-east  jmi't  seenis  lower.  The  coast  is  covered  with  mangmves.  .  .  . 
The  heat  of  December  rises  to  W'l^  Fahrenheit.  The  forests  and  the  grass  have  been  known 
spontaneously  to  take  fire.t  The  North-west  wind,  like  the  Khamseeu  of  EaA'iit,  scorches 
the  soil  and  reduces  it  to  a  light  dust.  .  .  .  Notwitlistanding  these  disadvantiiges.  the 
climate  is  verj-  healthy,  and  very  favorable  to  population.  .  .  .  Those  parts  in  which 
ditierent  triiils  have  been  made  have  rather  too  wann  a  climate  f;)r  common  barley  ;uid  oats, 
tliough  these  grains  have  been  found  to  succeed  tolerably  well  on  the  poorer  soils.  .  . 
All  the  vegetables  grown  in  England  are  proilucetl  in  the  English  colony.  .  .  Peaches, 
apricots,  nectarines,  oranges,  lemons,  guava.s,  loquets,  cherries,  walnuts,  almonds,  grape* 
pears,  pomegranates  and  melons  attain  the  higliest  maturity  in  the  open  air."|| 

The  country,  most  of  it,  is  remarkably  deficient  in  water, §  though  many 
portions  are  subject  to  destructive  iimndations.^  Its  drouths  are  unequaled 
for  their  duration  and  intensity  in,  perhaps,  any  inhabited  portion  of  the 
globe.**  Its  vast  plains,  occasionally  highly  fertile,  but  more  usually,  only 
in  detached  spots,  afford  pasture  throughout  the  year. 

The  physical  features  of  this  country,  its  system  of  sheep  husbandry, 
etc.  will  be  more  particularly  alluded  to  hereafter. 

The  English  first  introduced  into  this  remote  possession  the  coarse  hairy 
sheep  of  Bengal.  In  the  short  space  of  three  years  these  were  so  far 
changed  by  the  effect  of  the  climate  and  other  circumstances,  that  their 
hair  was  entirely  gone,  and.  was  succeeded  by  a  fleece  of  wool.tt  The 
South-Down  and  Leicesters  were  subsequently  introduced,  and  their 
crosses  with  the  Bengal  sheep  soon  became  as  fine  as  the  pure  bloods  of 
the  former.  At  length  some  Merinos  were  imported  by  the  colonists, 
and,  says  Mr.  Youatt,  "  The  experiment  was  satisfactory  beyond  their  ex- 
pectation. The  third  or  fourth  cross  with  the  then  prevalent  sheep  of  the 
colony  produced  an  animal  with  a  fleece  e(jual  to  that  of  the  pure  Merino 
in  Europe ;  and  the  wool  of  the  pure  blood  seemed  to  improve  as  rapidly 
as  the  native  breed  had  done."|t  In  1810,  the  export  of  wool  from  Aus- 
tralia and  Van  Dieman's  Land  was  167  lbs.;  in  1833,  it  had  reached 
3,516,869  Ibs.llll     In  1S43,  it  amounted  to  16,226.400  lbs.§§ 

The  foUovring,  from  a  table  in  McCulloch's  Dictionary  of  Commerce, 
will  show  the  cuirent  prices  (reduced  to  American  currency)  of  some  of 
the  imported  and  domestic  wools,  in  London,  March,  183,4  : 


Spanish....... 

1    CtS.         S    CIS. 

. .  per  lb.  —  60  to  —  77 

English  :                                            $  cts.      $  cw 
North  &  Sooth-Down,  per  lb.  —  44  to  —  4:? 

Leicester —  33  '•  —  44 

Linrohi,    Cotswold,    Romney 

Portuguese  

—  44  ••         62 

Germa.v.  Saxo.s,  &c  . 

—  48  "     1   l."-) 

.w  "     1   nn 

*  Gporeetown  is  perhap*  half  a  dearee  nearer  the  Equator, 
t   This  place  \a  twelve  milea  kouth  of  Port  Jackson. 

*  Malte  Brun  cites  CoUiP?  (an  author  frequentjy  quoted  in  relation  to  New  South  Wale?)  for  this  strong 
and,  Dcrhaps.  exasgerated  assertion.  ||   Mijte  Brun,  vol.  i.  pp.  600— 6*15. 

5  Spooner,  Youatt,  etc  1^  Malte  Brun.  •*  See  McCulloch's  Commercial  Dictionary, 

tt  Vouatt  on  .-^hecp,  p  184.    Spooner,  Oiseasex  of  Sheep,  p.  6i 

tJIb.  p.  Id4.  III!  lb.  et  Spooner.  66  Spooner. 

t€59)  D 


26  SHEEP    HUSBANDRY    IN  THE    SOUTH. 

It  will  be  seen  from  this,  that  the  best  Australian  wools  already  excelled 
the  best  Spanish,  and  were  more  than  midway  between  them  and  the  best 
Saxon.  When  we  consider  the  almost  infinite  difference  in  the  care,  both 
in  breeding  and  management,  bestowed  on  the  Saxon  and  Australian  sheep, 
it  shows  most  conclusively  the  adaptation  of  the  climate  of  Australia  to 
the  production  of  the  finest  wool — or,  at  least,  that  the  adverse  effects  of 
its  warm  temperature,  and  the  incidents  to  that  temperature,  are  easily 
overcome.  IiiSaxony,  sheep  ai-e  numbered,  oftentimes  their  separate  ped- 
igrees registered,  and  each  breeding  ewe  is  stinted  to  a  ram  carefully  se- 
lected with  reference  to  her  individual  qualities.  In  Australia,  where  less 
capital  and  labor  are  employed,  flocks  of  about  three  hundred  breeding 
ewes* — where  the  country  is  destitute  of  timber,  sometimes  a  thousandl — 
loam  from  one  fertile  and  watered  spot  to  another  over  the  vast  plains,  in 
charge  of  the  convict  shepherd ;  and  this  system  is  followed  throughout 
the  year,  including  the  tu^jping  season.  Three  flocks  are  always  penned 
together  at  night,|  so  that  as  many  as  nine  hundred  breeding  ewes,  of  va- 
rying quality,  must  be  promiscuously  bred  to,  say,  fiom  thirty  to  thirty-five 
lams,  running  promiscuously  among  them. 

The  Cape  of  Good  Hope  is  in  south  latitude  34'^  23'  40". 

Mr.  Youatt,  in  describing  the  sheep  husbandry  of  this  region,  overesti- 
mated, I  think,  the  heat  of  the  climate.  Separated  by  lofty  mountain 
ranges  from  the  interior  of  Africa,  the  fertile  regions  adjoining  the  coast 
are  not  swept  by  its  scorching  winds,  and  the  temperature  is  comparatively 
mild.  "  In  a  meteorological  register  kept  at  Cape  Town,  from  Sept.  1818 
to  Sept.  1821,  embracing  a  period  of  three  years,  the  highest  heat  marked 
is  96°,  the  lowest  45°,  Fahrenheit.  The  mean  and  annual  temperature 
scarcely  68° — of  winter  61°,  of  summer  89°. "||  But  sheep  and  their  wool 
suffer  fi'om  the  fine  sands  which  are  lifted  and  driven  by  the  prevailing 
winds.  Says  Malte  Brun,  "  the  wind  blows  often  fj'om  the  south-east  with 
great  violence.  Nothing  can  be  secured  from  the  sands  which  it  drives 
before  it ;  they  penetrate  the  closest  apartments  and  the  best-closed  trunks. 
At  this  time  it  is  not  prudent  to  go  out  without  glasses,  lest  the  eyes  should 
be  injured."§ 

Though  the  climate  can  scarcely  be  designated  a  "  ton-id  "  one,  as  Mr. 
Youatt  speaks  of  it,  the  mean  temperature  of  its  winter  (61°)  conclusively 
shows  that  cold  can  have  nothing  to  do  here  with  rendering  the  wool  finei 
by  a  contraction  of  the  pores.  If,  therefore,  it  can  be  shown  that  the  wool 
of  the  fine  breeds  does  not  deteriorate  in  quality,  it  sufficiently  proves  that 
Australia  is  not  an  incidental  exception  in  the  testimony  which  it  presents 
on  the  point  under  examination,  but  that  it  illustrates  the  uniform  opera- 
tion of  the  physical  laws  which  pertain  to  the  growth  of  avooI. 

After  one  or  two  unsuccessful  attempts,  the  Merinos  were  acclimated 
at  the  Cape  by  the  English  colonists.  In  1804,  the  colony  numbered  536.- 
634  sheep.  In  1811,.there  were  1,293,740.  In  1810,  the  import  of  wool 
into  Great  Britain  was  29,717  lbs.;  in  1833,  it  was  93,325  Ibs.lf 

In  Willmer  &  Smith's  "  Liverpool  Annual  Wool  Report,"  for  1846,  it 
is  stated,  "  The  shipments  from  this  quarter  (Cape  of  Good  Hope)  show 
great  improvement,  amply  testified  by  the  high  rates  the  best  flocks  have 
commanded  during  the  season.  .  .  The  best  parcels  now  take  rank 
with  those  from  Australia."**  The  system  of  bree<ling  and  general  man- 
agement at  the  Cape  closely  correspond  with  those  of  Australia. 

Let  us  now,  sir,  turn  to  the  experience  of  our  own  countiy.     I  do  not 

*  CunninahRm's  "Two  Venis  in  South  Wales."  f  lb.  J  lb. 

II  Malto  Kiun.  vol.  ii.  p.  112.  ^  lb.  vol.  ii    p.  110. 

II  Youait  on  Sheep,  p.  1S4.  ♦*  Willuicf  &.  Smith's  Euiopcan  TimoB  of  Jan.  4,  1S16. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  27 

know  that  a  sufficient  number  of  experiments  have  been  mafle  as  near  the 
Ecjuator  as  Cape  Town  and  Port  Jackson,  to  have  their  testimony  rejjard- 
ed  as  entirely  decisive  on  the  j)oint  umler  consideration,  but  those  have 
been  nitide  which  throw  much  lis^ht  on  this  question,  if,  indeed,  any  more 
is  considered  necessary.  In  the  sotith  of  Illinois  (Edwards  county),  in 
about  latitude  SS'^  30',  the  finest  varieties  of  sheep  weie  introduced  by 
Mr.  Georu^e  Flower,  about  twenty  years  since,  from  which  he  has  bred  up 
an  extensive  flock.  That  trentleman  says  :*  "  No  deterioration  in  the  wool 
has  taken  place  ;  on  the  contrary,  the  wool  fibre  is  somewhat  finer."  I 
have  myself  seen  various  specimens  of  Mr.  Flower's  wool,  of  the  clip  of 
1844,  and  it  bore  an  excellent  character  for  fineness  and  evenness. 

In  a  letter  which  I  received  from  Hon.  Henry  Clay,  in  1839,  he  says : 
"  I  have  for  some  yeai-s  had  only  the  pure  Saxony  at  my  residence ;  but  I 
am  now  satisfied  that  I  should  have  derived  more  profit  from  sheep  pro- 
ducinij  a  wool  less  fine.t  The  climate  of  Kentucky  is,  however,  well 
adapted  to  the  Saxon  sheep."    Mr.  Clay's  residence  is  in  about  latitude  38'^. 

Mr.  Mark  R.  Cockrill,  of  Nashville,  Tennessee,  in  a  letter  published  in 
the  American  Shepherd^  says  : 

"  I  havp  about  a  thonsanil  head  of  fine  sheep,  and  P-nm  400  to  500  lon?-wooled  or  mutton 
sheep.  Mv  Siixnn  sheep  were  imported  iu  1824  or  'M — I  ciumot  say  ^vhich — -rind  I  find  ah 
vet  no  fuJIins  otf  in  qu;intity  or  quality  of  their  Heeces ;  on  the  coiitrar\-,  I  believe  a  little 
improvement  on  both  points,  and  a  little  more  yolk,  when  well  provided  lor,  which,  you 
know,  dt)es  not  abound  much  iu  the  Saxon  breed.  In  addition,  the  fleeces  are  a  little  more 
compact  th;in  formerly — hence  more  weight ;  and.  fmm  our  mild  climate,  the  staple  hnx  be- 
come longer.  .  .  I  assert  it  to  be  a  fact  that  the  cottrni  region  I  am  now  in  [.Mr.  Cockrill 
dates  from  Madison  county,  Mississippi,  where  a  part  of  his  sheep  are  kept],  in  about  lati- 
tude 32'-'  north,  is  better  than  any  country  north  of  it  to  grow  wool,  as  the  sheep  can  be  kept 
all  the  time  praziug,  by  sowing  small  grain ;  fijr,  if  grazed  off,  it  quickly  grows  again  in  a 
few  davs ;  and  the  wool  of  the  fine  Saxon  sheep  in  this  climate  is  softer  and  more  cotton-like 
than  any  I  have  ever  seen,  althoush  I  have  samples  from  all  ]virt8  of  the  world.  1  have 
traveled  from  this  very  place  to  Boston,  sampling  all  the  sheep  of  note  on  the  way,  and  I 
found  nothing  on  my  journey  or  at  Boston  as  good  as  the  wool  I  had  grown,  and  so  said  all 
the  wool  stiiplers  whom  I  met  with,  and  they  were  not  a  few.  I  presumed,  iu  reality,  that 
the  bloo«l  of  mv  sheep  was  no  better  than  niany  I  saw,  but  the  superiority  of  my  wool  I  as- 
cribed to  our  climate,  and  the  provision  for  the  sheep  of  succulent  food  the  year  round. — 
The  weight  of  mv  fleeces  is  liiir — sav  from  3  to  5.^  lbs.  each.  .  .  Tenne.isee  is  not  the  tn\e 
grass  climate  ;  about  28^  north  is  tlie  most  congenial  for  grass :  notwith-standing,  our  State  is 
fair  for  pasture  ;  blue  and  orchard  gr.iss,  white  and  red  clover,  prosper  pretty  well.  .  . 
There  is  much  country  in  Tetmessee  and  other  Southern  States  not  tit  for  the  plow,  and 
would  do  admirably  well  for  fiue-vvooled  sheep,  and  can  be  profitably  so  employed.  A  small 
capital  thus  appropriated  here  in  Missi^ippi  would  do  better  than  cotton  growing  at  present 
prices." 

Nashville  is  in  about  latitude  37^  15' ;  and  Madison  county,  Mississippi, 
is  about  half  a  desfree  farther  north  than  mentioned  by  Mr.  Cockrill,  viz. 
extending  from  32^^  to  33^;  its  county  seat  (Canton)  being  more  than  a 
degree  nearer  the  Equator  than  Port  Jackson  in  Australia,  and  about  two 
degrees  nearer  than  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  ! 

Mr.  Morrel,  the  compiler  of  the  "American  Shepherd,"  has  obtained 
specimens  of  Mr.  Cockrill's  wool,  and  he  says  of  them,  "  Juds;^ing  from  the 
samples,  the  conclu.sion  is  inevitable  that  little  or  no  deterioration  has  been 
produced  by  the  climate."|| 

This  testimony  of  Mr.  Cockrill  is  very  important,  both  from  the  length 
and  extent  of  the  experiment.  I  have  no  doubt  of  the  perfect  correctness 
of  his  assertion  that  his  wool  has  improved  in  those  low  latitudes  ;  but  the 
cause  assisrned  by  him  cannot  be  received  as  the  correct  one,  so  far  as  the 
increased  finene.ss  of  the  fibre  is  concerned.  The  improvement  in  this  par- 
ticular, under  a  system  of  feeding  which  has  "  increased"  both  the  "  quan- 

•  In  a  letter  publUhed  in  the  Prairie  Fanner.        t  Mr.  Ciny  Iwre  aDudes  to  the  Merinoa. 
)  P.  409.  y  American  ^^hopherd,  p.  41. 


28  SHEEP   HUSBANDRY   IN  THE    SOUTH. 

tity"  and  the  "  yolk"  of  the  fleece,  cannot  be  ascribed  to  the  chmate,  nor 
to  the  feedhig  itself.  It  is  undoubtedly  owing  to  Mr.  C.'s  system  of  breed- 
ing and  selection,  a  point  which  will  be  fully  discussed  hereafter. 

if  feed  or  condition  exercise  the  principal  influence  on  the  fineness  of 
wool  (that  is,  within  the  range  of  variation  to  which  it  is  subject  on  the 
same  individuals),  it  follows  that  the  effect  may  be  produced  in  any  climate, 
for  high  condition  throughout  the  year  is  attainable  in  the  most  rigorous 
ones,  by  the  supply  of  plentiful  and  rich  food.  The  wool  secretions  are 
incident  on  condition — fatness,  however  superinduced.*  It  again  follows 
that  if  wool  of  the  highest  degree  of  fineness  (for  the  breed)  can  be  pro- 
duced in  New-York,  although  the  sheep  is  kept  in  a  decidedly  fat  state 
throughout  the  year — quite  as  fat  as  it  would  become,  grazing  on  green 
feed  all  the  year  round — that  wool  of  equal  fineness  can  be  produced  by 
the  observance  of  the  same  influencing  conditions  (apart  from  feed)  by  the 
southern  breeder. 

Here  agnin,  undeterred  by  any  considerations  of  what  I  deem  a  false 
modesty,  I  shall  offer  facts  founded  on  my  own  personal  experience  as  a 
sheep  breeder  ;  and  I  would  remark,  once  for  all,  that  throughout  the 
whole  of  these  letters  I  shall  never  so  far  prefer  hclirfs  founded  on  the  as- 
sertions of  others,  to  actual  knowledge,  based  on  facts  repeatedly  and  con- 
stantly bi-ouoht  under  my  personal  inspection,  for  a  number  of  years,  as 
to  suppress  the  latter,  to  rely  solely  on  the  former. 

I  have  succeeded,  in  repeated  instances,  in  producing  an  exquisite  qual- 
ity of  wool,  decidedly  above  the  average  of  the  breed  (Merino)  in  the 
heavy  fleeces  of  sheep  kept  fat  the  year  round.  I  have  made  it  a  sort  of 
a  test  latterly,  in  the  selection  of  rams,  to  choose  only  those  which  not 
only  carry  heavy  fleeces,  in  any  condition,  but  which,  in  the  highest,  yield 
a  wool  equaling  the  choicest  samples  to  be  found  on  this  variety.  These 
facts  will,  by  and  by,  be  placed  in  a  definite  and  tangible  form,  by  the  re- 
corded testimony  of  the  scales  and  the  microscope. 

But  though  the  natural  effects  of  warm  climates  and  their  incidents,  to 
increase  the  bulk  or  coarseness  of  the  fibre,  is  one  which  can  easily  be  re- 
sisted, they  work  a  change  of  another  kind  in  the  character  of  wool.  They 
cause  a  longer  fibre  and  a  greater  softness  of  staple.  The  effect  of  succu- 
lent nutriment  during  the  year  in  increasing  the  amount  of  the  wool  will 
exhibit  itself;  but  the  skill  of  the  breeder  can  so  far  regulate  its  action, 
that  the  increase  is  in  the  length,  rather  than  in  the  diameter  or  bulk  of  the 
fibres.  It  is  not  difficult  to  conjecture  why  a  staple  of  more  rapid  growth, 
supplied  to  excess  with  the  secretions  which  enter  into  its  composition,  un- 
exposed to  great  and  rapid  variations  of  temperature,  should  retain  a 
gi'eater  degi-ee  of  softness  than  one  produced  under  opposite  conditions. 
But,  whatever  the  causes  of  these  phenomena,  their  existence  is  placed 
beyond  a  doubt. 

The  increased  length  of  staple,  resulting  from  the  nutriment  of  warm 
climates,  has  been  sufficiently  adverted  to.  The  following  statements  made 
by  some  of  the  most  eminent  wool-factors,  staplers,  etc.  in  England,  before 
a  Committee  of  the  House  of  Lords,  in  1828,  place  the  other  point  beyond 
controversy.t 

Mr.  Henry  Hughes,  wool-broker,  London,  says : 

*  No  one  has  nspfrfpil,  bo  far  as  I  am  informed,  that  dry  fond  will  produce  less  wool  than  green  feed,  if 
the  Bame  decree  of  fktm^ss  is  kept  up.  On  the  other  hand,  tlie  rich  cereal  grains,  oil-cake,  &c.  (without 
some  of  which  a  hi^'h  decree  of  fatness  cannot  be  maintained,  on  dry  feed  alone,  during  the  four  or  live 
months'  winter  in  latitudes  north  of  42''),  might  be  supposed  to  be  quite  as  conducive  to  the  production  of 
wool  as  giasBes. 

t  For  extended  minutes  of  this  very  interesting  investigation  into  the  state  of  the  wool-trade,  &c.  &c.  in 
Great  Britain,  see  Bischofl'  on  Wool,  &.C.,  vol.  ii.  p.  118  to  200. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  29 


"  Latterly  lln-v  (Aiisa'ulian  and  Van  Diciiiaii'H  Land  wools)  have  been  of  varied  (|iialitieB, 
but  all  pos.so.s.siiig  an  exlraoiiiiiiaiy  solhicss,  wliicli  tlic  iiianutiutui-crs  lu^it'  mi  nimli  admire 
that  they  are  son^'lit  tor  more  than  any  other  descrijitioii  (»!'  wools,  h-om  that  i)e(:idiar  (juidit}', 
vvhioii  is  sni>|H)sed  to  arise  •rom  th(*  climate  alone.  They  ai'e  known  to  re(|iiire  less  of  the 
inillini,' or  tidliny  power  than  ajiy  otiier  desei-iptions  of  wools.  .  .  They  are  better  adapted 
than  the  (Tenniui  wools  to  mix  with  Urilish  wools,  because  the  superior  sol'tiiess  which  J 
hav»>  stilted  gives  a  chiU'acter,  when  mixL-cl  witli  English  wool,  that  the  other  does  not,  from 
the  hardness  of  the  libre.'"* 

Mr.  Stewart  Doiiulclsoii,  merchant,  London,  says : 

"  I  have  no  hesit;»tion  In  pronomicLni;  that  the  wools  of  New  South  Wales  and  V;in  Die- 
mau's  Laiul  are  tlecidedly  [irefcrred  to  the  apparently  similar  descriptions  of  (icrinan  wool 
.  .  .  They  have  a  s<i!iness  and  silkiness  about  them  which,  when  woiked  uji  into  cloth, 
shows  itself  more  distinctly  than  iii  the  raw  material.  1  conceive  that  it  is  dependent  on  the 
climate  alone.  1  am  of  opuiiou  that  wool  of  that  quality  could  uot  be  produced  iu  aiiy  piut 
of  Europe."! 

Mr,  Thomas  Legg,  woul-staplcr,  Bormondsey,  says  : 

"  There  are  some  of  these  wools  of  very  beautiful  (juolity,  as  good  as  any  of  the  German 
wools. ''t 

Mr.  Thomas  Ebsworth,  wool-broker,  London,  says : 

'•  The  peculiarity  of  the  climate  of  New  South  Wales  appears  to  have  a  very  great  eflect 
on  wool,  so  as  to  reduce  it  from  a  harslmess  to  a  very  fine  texture. "|| 

This  was  the  substance  of  «//  the  testimony  on  this  particular  point ; 
and  when  it  is  under.stood  tliat  the  investigation  was  an  issue  between  rival 
interests,  where  all  the  facts  were  thoroughly  sifted,  the  fact  that  the  above 
assertions  were  undisputed  shows  that  they  were  considered  of  an  undis- 
])utable  character. 

Allusion  has  already  been  made  to  the  loose  and  careless  system  of 
sheep-breeding,  etc.  in  Australia,  compared  with  that  in  (irermany.  Tak- 
ing this  into  consideration  ;  taking  also  into  consideration  that  the  flock 
furnishing  the  best  wool  in  Australia  (Capt.  McArthur's)  is  composed  of 
grade  eheep  (Bengal  and  English,  graded  up  with  Merino  and  Saxon  rams), 
the  trifling  effect  of  climate  is  made  more  strikingly  to  appear. 

The  statements  of  Mr.  Cockrill  in  relation  to  the  softness  of  the  wools 
grown  in  Tennessee  and  Mississippi,  sustain  and  are  sustained  by  those 
above  given  ;  and  they  go  to  show  that  it  is  the  result  of  a  general  law 
and  not  of  any  peculiar  local  influences  peculiar  to  Australia 

•  Bischoff  on  Wool,  4.c.  vol.  iL  pp.  183-3.  t  Ibid.  183-4.  J  Ibid.  184.  Jl  Ibid.  184. 


30  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


LETTER  m. 

ADAPTATION  OF  THE  SOILS,  HERBAGE.  &c.  OF  THE  SOUTHERN  STATES  TO 
SHEEP  HUSBANDRY.    1.  OF  THE  LOW  OR  TIDE-WATER  REGION. 


Natural  Features  of  the  Southern  States — Divided  into  three  Zones. .  .The  Natural  Features,  Soils,  &c.  of 
each. .  .The  Tide-water  Zone— Its  destitution  of  Anificial  l^aetures  and  Meadows. .  .Causes — Small  amouot 
of  Domestic  Stock  kept — Unsuccessful  Experiments  in  raising  Clover  and  Grasses.  ..Reasons  why  those 
Expeiimi/nts  were  unsuccet^sful — Laud  too  much  Exhausted  by  Severe  Tillage — System  of  Tilla^^e  com- 
pared with  that  of  the  Grazing  Regions  of  New-York — Experiments  unsuccessful,  also,  because  improper 
varieties  of  Clover  and  Grass  were  tried. .  .Much  of  the  Land  adapted  to  Grass— Shown  by  its  Natural  Pas- 
tures'— Statements  of  Col.  Allston — Opinions  of  Mr.  Rtiftin — of  a  Committee  of  the  S.  C.  Agricultural  Soci- 
ety  Laud  coinpared  with  that  of  Flanders— also  with  some  parts  of  New- York Climate  perhaps  unfa- 
vorable to  certain  Northern  Grasses  and  to  Red  Clover — Opinion  of  Mr.  Ruffin — Statements  of  Wilton  (S. 

C.)  Agricultural  Society Clover  not  indispensable. .  .Experiments  suggested Valuable  indigenous  and 

acclimated  Grasses— Crab  Grass — Millet — Bermuda  Grass— its  great  value — Statements  of  Mr.  Affleck... 
Peas — Their  great  value  in  the  Southern  States  as  a  Green  Crop  Manure — Sprengel's  Analysis  of  them — 
The  Value  of  their  Straw  as  a  Manure  compared  with  various  substances — Table  of  the  Value  of  Manures 
by  Payen  and  Boussiiigault... Oats,  Rye  and  Barley — Corn  Blades — Sweet  Potatoes... Conclusiona  front 
foregoing. 

Dear  Sir  :  Having  discussed,  in  my  previous  letters,  the  effects  of  warm 
climates  and  some  of  their  incidents,  on  the  health  of  sheep,  and  on  the 
quantity  and  quality  of  their  wool,  we  come  now  to  the  second  branch  of 
my  original  inquiry — Is  there  anything  in  the  natural  features,  soils,  herb- 
age, &c.  of  the  Southern  States,  which  unfits  them  for  a  natural  and  easy 
adaptation  to  sheep  husbandry  I 

The  vast  region  south  of  the  Ohio  and  Potomac,  and  west  of  the  Missis- 
sippi— comprising  an  area  considerably  exceeding  that  of  France,  Spain 
and  Portugal* — is  distinguished,  by  its  natural  features,  into  three  distinct 
zones,  parallel  to  each  other  and  to  the  Atlantic  coast. 

The  lower  or  tide-water  zone,  which  skirts  the  Atlantic,  is  a  low,  flat, 
sandy,  and  oftentimes  marshy  plain,  from  50  to  100  miles  wide,  compara- 
tively recent  (tertiary)  in  its  formation,  and  covei'ed  with  pine  forests  ovei 
the  greatest  portion  of  its  extent.  The  soils  on  the  dry  lands  are  generally 
light,  and  sometimes  too  sterile  to  admit  of  profitable  cultivation  ;  that  in 
the  swamps  and  river  bottoms,  where  the  sand  is  replaced  by  a  rich  allu- 
vion, is  exceedingly  fertile.  The  middle  or  hilly  zone  rises  from  the  level 
of  the  preceding,  first  into  gentle  hills,  and  finally  into  high  and  oftentimes 
broken  ground,  as  it  approaches  the  mountains.  The  width  of  this  does 
not  greatly  vary  from  that  of  the  preceding.  The  formation  is  almost  ex- 
clusively primary  ;t  and  the  soil  varies,  sometimes  being  poor,  but  more 
generally  ranging,  in  its  natural  state,  from  medium  to  highly  fertile.  The 
forests  consist  of  oak  and  other  deciduous  trees.  The  third  or  mountain 
region  is  formed  by  the  different  chains  and  groups  of  the  great  Apalach- 
ian  range  of  mountains,  and  occupies  not  far  from  70,000  square  miles  of 
the  central  portion  of  the  territory  under  consideration.^  It  comprises  the 
middle  of  Virginia,  the  west  of  North  Carolina  and  South  Carolina,  the 
north  of  Georgia  and  Alabama,  and  the  east  of  Tennessee  and  Kentucky. 
Its  formation  on  the  eastern  declivities  of  the  Blue  Ridge  (the  most  east- 
em  chain)  is  primary,  and  thence   to  the  AUeganies  the  rocks  belong  to 

*  Spain  contains  170,000  square  miles,  Portugal  40,000,  France  200,000— in  all  410,000.  Allowing  10,000 
«quare  miles  of  Louisiana  to  be  east  of  the  Mississippi,  the  area  of  the  region  referred  to  is  4o6,0C)0  square 
miles. 

t  There  are  one  or  two  interrupted  belts  of  new  red  sandstone — vide  McClure. 

%  Estimated  not  far,  I  think,  from  correctly,  by  myself.    I  can  find  no  authority  on  this  point. 


SHEEP   HUSBANDRY  IN   THE    SOUTH.  31 


the  Transition  order.*  Its  soil  varies  from  thin  and  light  to  that  of  exu- 
berant fertility.  West  of  the  mountains,  the  hilly  zone  rests  on  Transition 
rocks  and  coal  measures,  and  is  succeeded  west  and  south  of  Virc:inia  by 
the  vast  rolling  or  level  plains  which  extend  to  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi ; 
and  which,  instead  of  the  silicious  sands  of  the  eastern  coast,  exhibit  rich 
and  varying  soils  resting  on  limestone  and  other  Transition  and  Cretaceous 
rocks.  In  Virginia,  the  hilly  region,  which  is  one  vast  coal  measure,  extends 
to  the  bottom  lands  of  the  Ohio  ;  and  its  soils,  taken  as  a  whole,  range  from 
ordinary  to  meager.f 

We  will  now  proceed  to  examine  the  capabilities  and  adaptation  of  each 
acne,  separately,  for  the  purposes  of  sheep  husbandry.  It  has  already  been 
shown  that  shei;p  are  healthy,  and  produce  as  heavy,  and  may  he  made,  to 
produce  as  fine  fleeces  as  elsewhere,  in  the  tide-water  zone.  They  are 
easily  kept — finding,  in  a  climate  so  mild,  considerable  succulent  food  even 
in  the  winter ;  and,  south  of  North  Carolina,  large  numbers  would  subsist 
during  the  entire  winter  on  the  hardier  wild  herbage  which  continues  green 
in  the  forests  and  swamps.  If  this  region  was  stocked  with  sheep,  to  the 
extent  alone  to  which  they  could  find  subsistence,  summer  and  winter,  on 
wild  herbage — or,  in  other  words,  get  a  living  without  costing  their  own- 
ers anything — the  present  number  would  be  largely  increased,  and  their 
wool  and  mutton  would  add  materially  to  the  annual  income  of  the  own- 
ers of  the  soil.  But  a  better  system  would  undoubtedly  be  not  to  depend 
upon  wild  herbage  alone,  but  to  have  pastures  or  sheep-walks  seeded  with 
the  best  grasses  which  will  flourish  on  them,  and  provision  made  for  a  quan- 
tity of  dry  fodder,  or  some  substitute  for  it,  for  winter  use. 

Can  this  summer  and  winter  feed  be  produced,  in  the  region  under  ex- 
amination, to  any  considerable  extent,  at  an  expense  which  would  render 
its  conversion  into  wool  and  mutton  profitable  ]  There  are  patches  of 
good  natural  pasture  in  many  parts  of  the  tide-water  zone,  apart  from  the 
salt  or  fresh  water  marshes.  But  artificial  pastures  and  meadows  have 
rarely  been  attempted.  The  planters  in  this  portion  of  South  Carolina,  for 
example,  actually  import  hay  !  "  Many  of  the  cotton  and  rice  planters  . 
.  in  some  cases  buy  hay  from  New-England.  .  .  .  Northern  and 
(in  some  cases)  European  hay  is  even  carried  up  to  supply  Augusta  and 
Columbia,  along  rivers  which  flow  through  swamps  covered  with  natural 
grass,  so  rank  and  luxuriant  as  to  be  almost  impenetrable. "{ 

This  neglect  of  grass  culture  springs  from  several  causes.  Little  farm- 
stock,  comparatively  speaking,  is  reaVed  or  kept  by  the  rice  and  cotton- 
planters,  from  the  fact  that  most  of  the  labor  on  such  plantations  is  per- 
formed by  men  ;  and  the  few  animals  kept  are  fed  on  wild  herbage,  or  the 
offal  of  crops  which  are  raised  for  other  purposes.  The  carriage  and 
draught  horses  and  mules  are  fed  in  the  winter  on  the  leaves  or  "  blades" 
of  corn ;  and  the  neat  stock  get  their  living  in  the  swamps,  and  in  the 
com  fields,  where  the  greatest  portion  of  the  stalks  are  usually  left  stand- 
ing. 

Nor  is  it  to  be  denied  that  various  unsuccessful  experiments  have  been 
made  in  the  cultivation  of  the  grasses  and  clover,  which  have  discouraged 
farther  efforts,  and  led  many  to  infer  that  the  soil  or  climate,  or  both,  are 
decidedly  uncongenial  to  them.  That  the  soil  or  climate  is  as  favorable  to 
the  production  of  lich,  thick  swarded  pastures  or  meadows,  as  in  many 


*  So  terniRd  by  Werner.  Thouph  little  UBed  now  by  geolocists,  I  resort  to  it  as  the  shortest  descriptive 
epithet  which  will  include  all  these  rocks,  unless  it  be  the  Hemilisyan  of  Broni;niart,  the  Submedial  of  Co- 
nybeare,  or  the  Graywacke  of  De  la  Beche — neither  of  which  is  so  familiar,  nor,  it  appears  to  me.  any  bet- 
ter. The  Transition  rocks  are  equivalent  to  both  the  Cambrian  of  Prof.  .Sedgwick,  and  the  Silurian  of  Mr. 
Murchison— whose  nomenclature  ia  adopted  by  Lyell.  Phillips,  Mantell,  Ac. 

t  Dr.  Mor»e,  Mitchell,  &c  _     t  Ruffin's  Agricultural  Survey  of  South  Carolina,  1843,  p.  73 


32  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

parts  of  the  Northern  States,  I  do  not  contend.  Some  of  these  soils  are 
doubtless,  naturally  too  barren  to  be  made  to  produce  good  yields  of  gi-ass, 
without  an  expenditure  which  would  more  than  counterbalance  the  profits 
accruing  from  them.  Others  have  been  sunk  nearly  to  the  same  level  by 
wasting  and  improvident  tillage  ;  and  it  is  on  lands  of  the  latter  class, 
mainly,  that  the  experiments  in  introducing  the  grasses  and  clover  have 
been  made.  As  long  as  they  would  produce  cotton  or  corn,  these  crops 
were  annually  taken  from  them,  with  perhaps  an  occasional  year  of  rest 
(i.  e.  lying  without  any  crop  being  sown  on  or  taken  from  them)  ;  and, 
when  reduced  to  such  a  degree  of  barrenness  that  the  crop  fell  short  of  re- 
paying the  cost  of  producing  it,  clover  or  grass  was  resorted  to  in  the  vain 
hope  of  suddenly  repairing,  through  their  instrumentality,  the  ravage  and 
desolation  of  years.  The  following  is  from  the  report  of  a  Committee  of 
the  Fishing  Creek  Agricultural  Society,  Chester  District,  South  Carolina, 
made  to  the  President  of  the  State  Society  in  1843  ;  and,  though  this  dis- 
trict is  not  in  the  tide-water  zone,  the  system  of  cropping  described  is  more 
or  less  the  prevailing  one*  throughout  much  of  the  cotton  growing  region  : 

"  We  generally  plant  cotton  on  ffesh  land  foin-  or  five  years  in  succession — then  corn — 
then  wheat  or  oats — again  corn  and  cotton  ;  and,  after  it  will  produce  little  else,  we  sow  it 
in  rye,  and  let  it  rest  two  or  three  years.  Thei'e  are  no  fixed  principles  observed  in  the  ro- 
tation of  crops.  .  .  .  We  have  no  data  whereby  to  fix  the  expense  of  cultivation  accu- 
rately. We  know  this,  however,  that  at  the  price  of  produce  for  the  last  two  or  three  years, 
we  ai'e  sinking  money. "t 

I  ask  what  would  be  expected,  in  the  way  of  grass  or  clover,  from  some 
of  the  best  grazing  lands  of  New- York,  after  being  cropped  with  grain 
crops  from  ten  to  twelve  years  consecutively,  with  little  or  no  manure  ? — 
However  carefully  seeded  with  the  best  grasses,  or  with  clover,  they  would 
not  form  meadows  worth  mowing,  nor  pastui-es  where  an  acre  would  sum- 
mer a  sheep — though,  as  now  managed,  an  acre  is  poorly  grassed  that  will 
not  summer  five  or  six  sheep.  Take  the  map  of  New-York,  Sir,  and  draw 
a  right  line  from  Buffalo  to  a  point  a  little  south  of  Albany — say  Coxsackie 
— and  all  the  region,  speaking  in  general  terms,  south  of  this  line  and  west 
of  the  Catskill  Mountains,  is  mainly  devoted  to  grazing.  It  is  the  best 
graaing  region  of  the  State,  and  much  of  it  is  equal  to  any  in  the  Northern 
States.  The  best  farmers  in  no  part  of  it  take  oft"  to  exceed  three  grain  or 
root  crops  before  seeding  down  to  grass  ;  and,  unless  the  soil  is  unusually 
rich,  it  is  customary  to  give  barn-yard  manure  to  one  of  these  crops.  This 
is  almost  invariably  the  case  where  thp  land  was  in  meadow  when  broken 
up.  Whei'e  no  manure  is  given  on  meadow  lands,  or  even  on  lightish  pas- 
ture lands,  two  grain  crops  are  considered  sufficient  by  the  most  provident 
farmers — it  being  an  axiom  amotig  such,  that  all  ordinary  or  thinnish  soils 
should  be  nearly  or  quite  as  rich  when  seeded  down  as  when  broken  up. 
In  other  words,  they  draw  from  the  soil  only  what  is  equivalent  to  the 
strength  or  fertilizing  properties  of  the  sod,  and  of  the  manure  given. — 
When  seeded  down  to  grass,  these  lands  are  usually  depastured  by  cattle 
or  sheep  several  years  before  they  are  again  broken  up.  If  converted  into 
meadow,  they  are  top-dressed  from  time  to  time  with  gypsum,  and  some- 
times with  stable  manures.^  The  poorest  soils,  rocky  hill-si-des,  declivities 
much  suliject  to  washing  and  gullying,  are  rarely  broken  up  after  being 
once  pro]ierly  seeded  down.  I  repeat  it.  Sir — take  all  the  grazing  lands 
of  New-York,  and  crop  them  as  severely  as  it  is  reported  above  to  be  done 
in  Chester  District,  South  Carolina,  and  they  would  become  so  sterile  that, 


*  Id  est,  so  far  as  constant  rropping  without  returning  anything;  to  the  soil  is  concerned, 
t  See  Ruffin's  Ai,'nc\iltural  Survey  of  South  Cm-olina,  1843— Appendix,  p.  fi. 

t  It  is  not  considered  good  economy,  however,  to  top-dress  any  meadows  with  stable  manureB  which 
are  dry  and  arable,  and  can  thus  be  subjected  to  the  regular  rotations  of  the  farm. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  33 

unless  resuscitated  by  copious  applications  of  manure,  they  would  not 
yield  grass  enough  to  pay  th«!  exp'ense  oi'  keeping  them  under  fence,  until 
they  had  lain  waste  for  a  (juarter  of  a  century. 

Another  cause  of  the  fafkires  which  have  attended  some  of  the  efforts  to 
introduce  the  culture  of  clover  and  the  grasses  on  the  tide-water  zone,  in 
the  Southern  States,  may,  and  probably  has,  existed  in  the  improper  selec- 
tion of  the  varieties  sown.  As  the  first  crop  on  a  very  meager  soil — red 
clover,  for  example — is  not  appropriate  in  any  region.  In  Flanders,  the 
natural  soils  of  much  of  which  so  closely  resemble  those  of  the  zone  under 
examination,  it  is  not  sown  until  the  land  is  enriched  and  got  in  condition 
by  several  prepai'atory  crops.  Tlie  ditterent  grasses  seem  to  be  affected 
by  various  conditions  in  the  soil  or  atmosphere,  or  both,  which  it  is  fre- 
quently difficult  or  impossible  to  detect.  Timothy  grass  fP/i/c?/m  prafcvsej 
is  decidedly  the  favorite  meadow  grass  of  the  grazing  regions  of  New- 
York.  ^^'hite  clover  (Trifoltum  rcpcns)  invariably  comes  up  spontane- 
ously on  those  lands.  Red  clover  (  T.  pratense)  is  sometimes  sown  with 
Timothy  in  meadows,  and  generally  in  pastures.  Red  Top*  ( Agrostis 
(stricta)  rt/Igaris)  is  preferred  on  wet  lands,  where  it  comes  up  spontane- 
ously. It  is  considered  a  prime  pasture  and  meadow  grass  in  such  situa- 
tions. June  or  Spear  grass  (Poa  j^ratcnsis),  the  Blue  grass  of  the  South 
ern  and  Western  States,  so  prized  there  and  also  in  England, t  is  consid- 
ei'ed  an  unprofitable  intruder  in  our  meadows,  where  it  comes  up  sponta- 
neously, and  ultimately  drives  out  the  Timothy.  The  meadows  are  then 
said  to  be  "  run  out,"  and  are  broken  up.  I  have  never  known  the  seed 
of  this  gi-ass  sown  in  a  single  instance  !  The  favorite  Rye  grasses  of  Eng- 
land (Ltolium  percnne  var.  hienne),  Lucern  ( Medicago  sativa),  Sainfoin 
( Hedi/saiMm  onibricMs),  Orchard  grass  ( Dactylis  glomerataj,  and  various 
others  equally  celebrated  in  England  and  on  the  Continent,  have  been 
ti'ied  in  New- York,  and  the  experiments  are  generally  regarded  as  decided 
failures.  None  of  them,  at  all  events,  have  obtained  a  footing  among  the 
grasses  sown  by  our  best  farmers.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Red  Top  of 
New-York  is  but  little  regarded  in  England,^  and  Timothy  was  not  in 
much  better  repute  until  the  Woburn  experiments  demonstrated  its  great 
Talue  for  hay.  Even  now  it  is  considered  inferior,  in  general  value,  to 
n\9ny  other  grasses.]]  All  this  goes  to  show  that  even  the  hardiest  grasses 
have  their  favorite  situations  ;  and  that  we  are  not  authorized  to  pronounce 
against  the  practicability  of  forming  pastures  and  meadows  in  a  given  re- 
gion, because  we  have  failed  in  a  trial  with  two  or  three  grasses,  out  of  a 
list  of  as  many  hundreds. 

It  has  already  been  remarked  that  there  are  patches  of  good  natural 
pasture  on  the  dry  as  well  as  the  wet  portions  of  the  tide-water  zone. 
These  are  frequent  and  extensive,  and  could  be  rendei-ed  infinitely  more 
so  by  simply  dealing  the  land.  In  your  Memoir  on  the  Cultivation  of 
Rice,  furnished  to  Mr.  Ruffin,  while  making  the  Agi-icultural  Sur\-ey  of 
South  Carolina,  in  1843,  you  say  : 

"  At  first,  ricp  was  cultivated  on  the  biirh  land,  and  on  little  spots  of  low  jrronnil,  as  thpy 
were  met  with  linro  and  there.  These  .low  pounds  being  found  to  airree  hrtlcr  wiili  t!io 
plant,  the  inland  swamps  wore  cleared  for  tlie  purpose  of  extending  the  culture,  In  the 
process  of  time,  :us  the  fields  became  too  grjissv  and  stubborn,  they  W(;re  iibaudoned  for  new 
clearings  ;  and  so  on,  until  at  length  w;is  discovered  the  superior  adaptation  of  the  tide-lands. 
and  the  great  facilities  for  iirigatiou  afforded  by  their  location.  Ff)r  these,  the  inland  planta- 
tions were  gradually  and  slowly  abandoned,  until  now,  that  the  gi-eat  body  of  land,  which 

•  Pomctimcs  known  bs  "  L'prisht  Bent  cmss."  and  in  the  Southern  States  as  llerdB-grass. 
t  Pronoiincpd  by  rSole  the  tiest  of  nil  the  era.ascs. 

iA/fTOStia  Tulgarif  is  pronoiincpd  "  a  wonhlcps  or  rather  a  mipchievous'  plant,"  by  Pir  Hporie  .''inclnir  ! 
I  "Oiir  opinion,"  says  Loudon,  •'  ia  that  neither  Timothy  nor  (some  other  grasBes  named;  is  ever  likely 
to  be  ctUtivated  in  Britain." 


34  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

little  more  than  a  century  ago  furnished  for  exportation  over  50,000  ban-els  of  rice,  now  lies 
utterly  waste,  constituting,  where  trees  have  not  overgrown  it,  the  finest  natural  pasture 
which  could  be  desired."* 

Mr.  Ruffin  in  his  Report  of  the  Survey,  of  the  same  year,  asserts : 

"  Few  countries  possess  greater  natural  facilities,  or  which  are  more  improvable  by  in- 
dustry, for  produciuij  in  abundance,  grass,  hay  and  live-stock,  and  their  products  of  meat, 
milk  and  butter,  all  of  which  ai-e  now  so  deplorably  d€ficient"t 

The  Committee  appointed  by  the  State  Agricultural  Society  of  South 
Carolina  to  take  into  consideration  the  scheme  of  reducing  the  quantity 
of  cotton  grown,|  in  their  Report  observe  : 

"  Millions  of  acres  in  South  Carolina,  including  the  lower  country,  are  admirably  adapted 
to  the  raising  of  rich  grasses.  This  might  be  adiled  as  another  branch  of  industry,  from 
which  i-easonable  profits  could  be  realized,  and  might  very  well  be  added  to  fee  cotton 
planter's  income." 

Corresponding  statements,  on  equally  indisputable  authority,  might  be 
indefinitely  multiplied,  not  only  in  relation  to  that  portion  of  the  tide- 
water zone  lying  within  the  limits  of  South  Carolina,  but  in  all  the  South- 
ern States.  South  Carolina  occupying  a  central  geographical  and  lati- 
tudinal position,  in  reference  to  this  zone,  and  its  soils  on  it,  about 
averaging,  so  far  as  I  can  learn,  with  that  of  the  other  States,  it  is  not 
necessary  to  pursue  the  inquiry. 

Where  fine  natural  pastures  spring  up  spontaneously  on  deserted  lands, 
more  or  less  impoverished — probably  in  most  instances  considerably  so — 
how  little  difficulty  would  there  be  in  forming,  almost  immediately,  the 
best  artificial  pastiires  and  meadows  on  millions  of  acres  of  just  such  land, 
(only  that  it  is  in  its  virgin  state,  and  consequently  far  better,)  now  in  un- 
productive forest  !  And  how  small  would  be  the  amount  of  skill  requisite 
to  convert  millions  of  acres  more  of  cotton  lands — which  do  not  now  yield 
remunerating  crops — into  pastures  and  meadows,  which,  as  I  shall  show, 
would  yield  their  owners  a  handsome  remuneration ! 

And  the  culture  of  the  grasses  need  not  stop  with  these  comparatively 
good  and  medium  lands.  They  can  be  made  to  stretch  their  carpet  of 
green  over  the  poorest  of  your  sands — over  those  now  covered  with  stunt- 
ed pines,  or  which,  scorched  and  naked,  reverberate  back  fiercely  the 
burning  heat  of  a  southern  sky- 
There  are  few  regions  in  the  tide-water  zone  possessing  poorer  soils 
than  some  cultivated  portions  of  New-York.  In  the  vicinity  of  Albany, 
(between  that  city  and  Schenectady,  for  example,)  the  same  loose,  silicious 
sands,  the  same,  though  perhaps  rather  more  stunted,  growth  of  pines, 
would  almost  compel  you  to  fancy  yourself  somewhere  between  Richmond 
and  Wilmington,  on  the  route  of  the  great  Southern  Railroad  !  Denuded 
of  their  meager  covering  of  dwarf  pines,  and  the  cohesion  produced  by 
their  interlacing  roots,  these  sands  would  be  lifted  and  driven  about  by 
the  winds.  Yet  on  such  a  soil  as  this,  you  find  the  farm  of  the  late  cele- 
brated Jesse  Buel  1  And  fertile  grass  fields,  dotted  here  and  there  with 
splendid  mansions,  are  every  year  stretching  out  farther  and  farther  among 
the  arid  sands.  How  are  these  rapid  transformations  in  the  fertility  of 
the  soil  accomplished  1  The  stables,  and  mews,  and  cesspools  of  Albany 
can  give  the  an.swer  ! 

The  following  description  of  the  natural  soils  of  Flanders,  now  prover- 
bial for  its  fine  crops  and  rich  pastures  and  meadows,  is  fi'om  the  pen  of 
that  able  English  agricultural  writer,  Rev.  W,  L.  Rham  : 


*  Asriculturiifl  Survey  of  South  Carolina,  1843.    Appendix,  p.  14.  t  lb.  p.  73. 

%  The  Committee  consisted  of  Whit.emareh  B.  Seabrook,  Esq.,  John  B.  O'Neall,  Esq.,  and  W.  J.  Allston 
Esq.— ond  the  Report  was  made,  I  believe,  in  January,  in  1846. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  35 

"  Tlie  jrreatfr  part  of  the  liuid  in  Fliuiders  is  naturally  poor  ;  and  in  extensive  district*, 
which  now  imve  tiieappearamc  of  the  gi-ealest  ricliiifss  at  liarvfsl  linii-,  the  mi'.'iiiiil  wiil  wu8 
onct'  littl(>  bettor  than  tho  hlowinj;  saiuls  which  art-  met  willi  in  the  ncifrlihorliood  of  the  sea. 
Neither  is  it  a  frenial  climate  which  hiiugs  forward  tlie  fruits  of  tiie  earth  in  al)undaiice  ;  for 
the  climate  is  inferior  to  that  of  FriUice  or  the  so\ithern  i)arts  of  (iennaiiy.  The  soil  may  he 
divided  into  two  classes.  The  hrst  consists  of  the;  alluvial  clay  loams  near  the  coast ;  the 
second,  of  viuions  siuuls  imd  hplil  loams  which  are  found  in  the  interior.  The  most  fertile  is 
that  of  the  low  lands  which  have  heen  reclaimed  from  the  sea  by  embankments;  it  is  chielly 
composed  of  a  muddy  dejKisit  mi\ed  with  frainnents  of  marine  shells  aral  fine  sea  sand  .... 
In  the  interior  of  East  and  West  Flanders  tlie  soil  varies  considerably  ;  but  the  princii>al 
part  is  of  a  .sjindy  natme.  Tlu-  sanil,  and  a  heavier  loam  which  scarcely  deserves  the  name 
of  clay,  are  found  much  intenni.\ed,  wliich  is  owing  to  an  altenialion  ot  layers  of  sand  and 
loam,  wliiili  are  foimd  by  digging  to  a  considerable  depth.  These  layers  are  not  of  great 
tliickness,  and  the  accidental  circumstance  of  the  washing  away  of  the  sand  in  some  places 
luid  the  depositions  from  rivers  in  others  wisily  accomit  for  this  variety.  iSome  i,f  the  eleva- 
tions, which  are  nowhere  consideral)le,  consist  of  a  very  jioor  sand,  and  suggest  the  idea  of 
their  having  once  been  the  sands  of  the  sea  blown  into  hills,  as  is  observable  on  the  coast. 
These  hills,  if  they  maybe  so  called,  are  naturally  so  barren  that  they  were,  not  verj- long  since, 
covered  with  lu-ath,  or  at  best  planted  with  fir  ti-ees;  but  they  have  gradually  been  culti- 
Tatwi  and  impixived,  and  only  a  few  remain  in  their  original  state  of  heath  and  wood.  The 
poorer  .'snnds  iiave  been  biimght  uito  cultivation  cliiefly  by  the  persevering  industry  of  small 
proprietors  and  occupies." 

Htive  \\c  not  here  a  good  general  description  of  much  of  our  southern 
Atlantic  coast — the  tide  swamp  and  sandy  plain — and  even  a  graphically 
minute  account  of  the  "  Sand  Hill  "  region  of  South  Carolina  1 

Instances  of  the  reclamation  of  such  lands  might  be  indefinitely  mul- 
tiplied. 

I  do  not  offer  the  above  facts  to  prove  that  it  is  either  profitable  or  ex- 
pedient to  reclaim  all  the  sterile  lands  of  the  southern  sea-board  by  the  same 
means  that  have  been  resorted  to  about  Albany,  or  in  Flanders.  Except 
in  the  vicinity  of  cities,  where  manures  are  plentiful  and  cheap,  and  un- 
common market  facilities  are  oftered,  it  would  not  be  profitable,  unless  it 
can  be  accomplished  by  less  expensive  means. 

But  it  proves  one  and  an  important  position  :  that  it  is  the  sterility  of 
such  soils — or  perhaps  their  loose  and  "blowing"  character  in  some  places, 
their  sun-baked  hardness  in  others — which  prevents  them  from  spontane- 
ously producing  esculent  herbage  ;  and  nothing  in  them,  as  has  been 
frequently  fancied,  positively  deleterious  to  vegetation.  And  it  follows, 
hence,  that  whenever  it  is  profitable  to  convert  them  into  grass  lands,  it  is 
practicable  so  to  do  by  the  proper  application  of  manures.  But  do  I  hear 
some  of  your  South  Carolina  neighbors,  of  the  anti-improvement  school, 
(if  you  have  any  such,)  say,  "  If  our  soils  are,  or  can  be  made,  generally, 
suitable  for  the  production  of  the  grasses,  our  climate  cannot  !  "  This 
position  is  obviously  incorrect,  as  warmer  climates,  as,  for  example,  Aus- 
tralia, the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  various  others,  produce,  wh|je  the 
soils  are  favorable,  a  luxuriant  growth  of  grasses ;  and  South  Carolina 
herself,  as  has  been  already  shown,  produces  them  bountifully  in  situations 
where  neither  the  latitude  nor  the  elevation  abates  one  jot  of  the  heat  of 
your  fervid  climate. 

It  is  not  impossible  that  the  climate  of  the  States  farthest  south — south, 
say,  of  North  Carolina — may  be  unfavorable  to  certain  grasses  and  clovers  ; 
and  perhaps  so  to  the  favorite  ones  of  the  Northern  States.  In  relation 
to  red  clover,  however,  the  acclimation  of  which  is  regarded  by  matiy  as 
BO  impoitant  to  those  States,  it  seems  ]\Ir.  liuffin  thought  otherwise.  He 
says: 

"  Perennial,  or  other  permanent  grasses,  of  which,  doubtless,  there  may  bo  found  some 
pecaUarly  suited  to  the  warm  climate,  (iSouth  Carolina,)  would  still  more  »cr\c  to  give  the 
great  benefits  of  changed  condition  to  the  fields,  independent  of  the  much  needed  benefits 
of  grass  husbandry  for  flooding  of  live-stock  and  giving  rest  and  manure  to  the  land.  The 
grasses  whose  value  has  been  fully  estabUshcd  by  long  experience  in  more  northern  coun 


36  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

tries,  should  be  tried — not  because  they  are  from  the  North,  (which  in  itself  is  a  strong  ob- 
jection,) Ijut  merely  because  thtnr  good  qualities  are  known,  and  possiljly  some  such  grasses 
may  as  well  suit  a  more  soulheni  clime.  And  such,  I  tnist,  is  red  clover,  the  best  of  aU 
green  and  manuring  crops.  For  although  this  was  long  held  to  belong  to  the  North  only,  I 
have  fully  experienced  that  ite  locality  and  the  perfection  of  its  gi-owth  are  fixed  much  more 
by  peculiarity  of  soil  than  by  latitude.  Not  more  than  twenty  years  ago  it  was  as  general 
a  belief  in  Lower  Viiginia,  as  now  in  South  Carolina,  that  there  the  soil  was  too  sctuUy  and 
the  sun  too  hot  to  raise  red  clover.  But  since  marling  and  liming  have  made  many  of  these 
soils  calcareous,  it  is  found  that  neither  the  sandy  soil  nor  hot  and  dry  climate  forbid  the 
raising  excellent  and  profitable  crops  of  clover.  And  so  hereafter  it  will  be  found  ia  South 
Carolina."* 

In  a  Repent  by  a  Committee  of  the  Milton  Agiicultural  Society,  (em- 
bracing adjacent  parts  of  Laurens  and  Newberry  Districts,  S.  C.)  made  to 
the  State  Society  in  1843,  they  state  : 

"  Our  native  grasses,  exceiit  the  crab  gi'ass,  are  of  the  poorest  ki?id,  principally  sedge.  Of 
the  artificial  grasses,  some  trials  have  been  made  with  red  clover  and  herds-gi-ass.t  On  rich 
lots  the  first  appears  to  succeed  veiy  well.  For  alternating  widi  tillage  crops  we  do  not 
know  of  its  having  been  tried ;  but  our  impression  is,  that  without  manming  more  highly 
thcUi  is  customary  here,  it  will  not  answer.  We  are  not  aware  that  it  has  ever  been  sowed 
^v!th  gypsum.  The  herds-grass,  as  fiir  as  it  has  been  tried,  appeal's  to  succeed  very  well  on 
the  Ijottoms  that  border  our  branches  and  creeks."+ 

Lawrence  and  Newberry  are  not  in  the  tide-water  region,  but  so  far  as 
the  effect  of  cHmate  alone  is  concerned,  tlieir  testimony  has  an  equal 
bearing. 

I  have  little  doubt  that  red  clover  may  be  cultivated  on  good,  rich  soils 
even  in  the  States  south  of  North  Carolina,  and  may  possibly  become,  un- 
der some  circumstances,  a  profitable  crop  in  their  rotations  ;  but,  as  has 
been  already  remarked,  it  will  not  do  as  n,  first  crop  on  very  meager  soils, 
in  any  climate — and  still  less  so,  I  ajiprehend,  on  such  soils  south  of  lati- 
tude 34°.  It  is  not,  therefore,  the  crop  which  you  need,  to  cheaply  ame- 
liorate your  poor  and  exhausted  soils,  to  fit  them  either  for  grazing  or  for 
tillage.  Grant  that  such  soils  can  be  fitted  to  produce  it,  as  Mr.  Ruffin 
suggests,  by  the  application  of  lime  or  marl,||  these  manures  will  be  found 
expensive,  can  be  but  slowly  obtained  in  quantities  sufficient  to  apply  to 
large  tracts,  and,  besides,  when  the  soil  is  sufficiently  ameliorated  to  cany 
clover,  it  will  carry  most  if  not  all  of  your  ordinary  tillage  crops.  Though 
clover  would  aid  materially  in  the  rotation,  in  sustaining  or  even  improv- 
ing the  fertility  superinduced  by  lime  or  any  other  fertilizer,  it  is  not,  and 
cannot  be  made  the  original  fertilizer  on  the  sterile  sands  of  warm  climates. 
When  we  talk,  therefore,  of  the  initiatory  steps  by  which  such  soils  shall 
be  brought  from  a  state  of  bairenness  to  a  state  of  production,  clover  does 
not  come  within  the  category  of  appropriate  agents. 

Though  red  clover  ranks  in  the  first  class,  if  not  the  first  in  that  class, 
on  appropriate  soils,  as  a  grazing  and  manuring  crop,  I  have  never  regard- 
ed it  as  indispensable — as  what  the  lawi/ers  would  style  a  sijie  qua  non — - 
eveti  in  sustaining  fertility  anywhere  except  on  rich  calcareous  wheat 
lands,  where  a  severe  and  exhausting  rotation  is  resorted  to.  Where 
wheat  is  taken  from  the  soil  at  least  every  alternate  year,  for  ten,  fifteen, 
or  twenty  years,  without  any  manure,  excepting  the  intervening  crop,  and 
th.e  droppings  of  animals  dej^astured  on  it,  clover  will  better  sustain  the 
land  in  the  ultimately  fatal  struggle,  than  perhaps  any  other  green  ma- 


*  Ruffin's  Acrirultural  Survry  of  P.  C,  1(543,  p.  81. 

t  This  bIiouUI  ho  the  Agrostis  stricta  or  vulgaris — the  Red  Top  of  the  North.  Some  writers  designate  it 
ns  tho  one  species,  soine  as  the  other. 

X  Raffin's  Agricultural  Survey  of  S.  C,  1843  ;  Appendix,  p.  9. 

II  Unless,  however,  the  soil  contains  more  organic  matter  than  I  suppose  to  be  the  case  with  many  of 
your  sandy  soils,  theory  and  practice  both  show  that  lime  will  not  prove  the  proper  manure.  Though  ex- 
ceedingly  valuable  in  its  place,  experience  shows  that  it  is  no  agricultural  panacea.  I  shall  allude  to  this  sub- 
ject more  fully  in  a  subsequent  letter. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  37 

■uriniT  crop.  But  on  the  silicious  p^razing  soils  of  Southern  New-York,  it 
ie  rarely  ust'd  exclusively  as  a  nianuriiii;  crop,  and  is  Init  little  used,  ex- 
cepting slii^htly  admixed  with  tiniutliy,  lur  ])asture  or  meadows.*  I  think 
it  should  be  used  more;  but  the  fact  stated  shows  that  clover  is  not  re- 
garded by  practical  men,  who  are  peifectly  familiar  with  it,  as  that  indis- 
pensable crop,  in  all  situations,  which  some  of  its  more  extravagant  pane- 
gyrists would  lead  us  to  suppose.  The  conclusions  which  I  would  have 
you  deduce  from  the  above  facts  and  statements  are,  simply,  that  if  clover 
is  found  to  flourish  with  you  without  extra  trouble  and  expense,  you  will 
do  well  to  make  use  of  it  in  your  rotation ;  if  not,  it  is  chimerical,  in  my 
judgment,  to  engage  in  an  expensive  sti-ugglc  with  natural  disadvantages 
to  force  its  cultivation. 

The  herds-grass  (red  top)  sjioken  of  by  the  Milton  Society,  is  a  good 
grass  on  moist  (but  not  bogijy)  soils,  and  having  been  found  to  succeed 
with  you,  is  worthy  of  trial  in  such  situations,  but  on  dry  soils,  especially 
on  arid  sands,  it  would  entirely  fail.  Nor  have  I  much  confidence  in 
either  timothy  or  spear  (blue)  grass,  in  such  situations,  in  your  latitude — 
none  at  all  in  the  former. 

It  would  be  well,  probably,  to  try  limited  experiments  with  all  grasses, 
domestic  and  foreign,  which  have  succeeded  well  on  soils  similar  to  your 
own  ;  as  among  these,  some  maybe  found  which  disregard  climate,  or  are 
even  better  fitted  to  your  climate  than  their  indigenous  one,  as  was  the 
case  with  timothy  at  the  North. .  The  same  remark  is  also  true  in  rela- 
tion to  certain  other  esculents  which  are  used  as  substitutes  for  the  grasses, 
and  for  green  manuring  crops. 

Notwithstanding  the  evident  propriety  of  such  experiments,  I  am 
strongly  inclined  to  the  opinion  that  it  is  to  your  own  native  grasses  and 
esculents,  or  those  of  some  kindred  climate,  you  must  look  mainly  for  the 
basis  of  your  grazing  husbandry — and  through  this,  the  amelioration  of 
your  poor  and  exhausted  soils. 

I  regret  that  I  can  find  no  list  of  those  native  grasses  which  sward  over 
the  deserted  lands  of  the  tide-water  zone,  and  flourish  with  a  tropical  lux- 
uriance in  its  swamps.  You  allude  to  them  as  '  native  "  grasses,  so  does 
Mr.  Ruflin.  Mr.  Seabrook,  in  his  Report  on  Cotton  Culture,|  speaks  of 
"crop  grass,"  by  which  I  suppose  he  means  Crab  grass,  (Panicvm  san- 
gvinalf, J  commg  up  spontaneously  after  spring-sown  peas;  but  farther 
than  this,  neither  of  you  specify  varieties. ||  Anions:  these  indigenous  ones, 
particularly  those  which  spontaneously  make  their  appearance  on  dry 
lands,  it  would  be  exceedingly  singular  if  there  are  not  several  very  valua- 
ble grasses  Jf/r  your  soils  and  climate — grasses  the  seeds  of  which  should 
form  a  part,  if  not  suit^able  for  the  whole  sowing,  on  the  same  kitids  of 
soils  on  which  they  are  found  flourishing. 

Crab  grass  gi'ows  in  all  parts  of  the  southern  States,  and  is  a  fair,  though 
not  a  rcrii  superior  pasture  and  meadow  grass. 

Golden  millet  ( Panicum  7nilliaceumJ  is  a  great  producer  and  withstands 


I  know  of  but  very  fnw  fHrmers  excepting  myself,  in  this,  (Cortland,)  one  of  the  best  of  the  crazing 
counties,  who  sow  unmixed  clover  seed.  I  confess  myself  decidedly  pariinl  to  the  crop.  You  may  rido 
ten  miles  or  more  in  many  directions  from  my  house,  where  half  and  frequi-ntly  more  than  three-fourtha 
of  the  fields  are  in  pasture  or  meadow,  without  oliservin;;  live  acres  of  unmixed  clover. 

%  for  this  elaboratp  and  excet^dingly  able  Report  or  Memoir,  see  Farmers'  Librarj',  184o,  October,  No- 
vember and  December  Nos. 

II  Since  wririntr  the  above,  I  have  received  from  ft  South  Carolina  correspondent  the  following:  list  of 
grnssee  and  other  esculents  whiih  fluurish  in  the  lower  jiart  of  that  Plate.  Crab  grass  (I>igllarin  fnngui- 
luiiit),  earlier — the  "  Crowfijot "  (EUutine  Indira),  a  little  later,  are,  he  says,  the  best  entsses  for  hay,  and 
thrive  in  cultivated  grounds  from  the  month  of  June  till  frost.  The  "Wild  Okra"  (I'iola  palma/ti),  the 
"  Partridee  Berry"  (Mitchella  rrpmt).  the  Wild  Pea  Vine,  and  several  other  esculents,  obscure  and  uo- 
known  by  name,  flouriflb  in  most  natural  pastures  from  early  spring  till  November. 


38  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

a  warm  climate,  but  it  requires  a  good  soil.  It  has  been  cultivated  with 
great  success  by  Mr.  Affleck  in  (Adams  county)  Mississippi. 

Bermuda  grass*  (Cynodon  dactylon)  I  have  been  led  to  consider,  from 
the  representations  of  Mr.  Affleck,  as  the  best  grass,  both  for  pasture  and 
xneadow,  on  the  sterile  sands  of  the  tide-water  zone.  If  half  this  enthu- 
siastic admirer  believes  of  it  is  true,  it  is  of  inestimable  value  to  the  South, 
and  for  jiermancnt  pastures  and  meadows,  is  by  far  the  best  grass  in  the 
United  States.     Mr.  A,  says  : 

"  We  are  fully  aware  of  all  the  objections  made  to  the  spreading  of  this  grass,  and  have 
a  practical  knowledge  of  all  the  trouble  it  occasious  ;  and  having  also  had  several  years'  ex- 
perience of  its  great,  its  incalculable  value,  we  have  no  hesitation  in  stating  that  the  latter  is 
manifold  gi-eater  than  the  former.  The  time  is  not  far  distant  when  all  the  rough  feed  cjn- 
Bumed  on  plantations  will  be  made  from  this  grass  ;  and  when  the  planter  will  consider  his 

hay  crop  as  of  much  more  importance  than  his  sugar  or  cotton; The  excellence  of  this 

plant  for  pasturage  is  evinced  by  two  circumstances.  It  is  prefeired  by  stock  of  every  de- 
scription to  all  other  grass,  and  it  gi'ovys  luxuriantly  in  every  kind  of  soil.  It  possesses  an 
additional  advantage,  that  of  binding  the  loosest  and  most  baiTen  sandy  tracts.  But  when  it 
has  once  taken  possession  of  close,  rich  soil,  its  extirpation  is  so  difficult  as  almost  to  defy  all 
the  skill,  industry  and  perseverance  of  farmers.  It  is  used  to  bind  the  levees  on  the  banks 
of  the  Mississippi,  and  of  railroads.  We  saw  it  at  Macon,  Geo.,  Charleston,  S.  C,  and  so 
on,  as  tar  north  as  City  Point,  Virginia,  where  it  partially  covers  the  wharf.  One  hundred 
pounds  of  grass  afford  upward  of  fifty  of  dry  hay ;  and  we  do  cut.  as  a  regular  crop,  five 
Ions  of  hay  per  acre  each  season.  Were  we  to  state  how  much  more  has  been  cut,  we  might 
strain  the  belief  of  om*  readers.  No  other  gr;iss  w^ill  yield  such  an  amount  of  valuable  hay; 
surpass  it  in  nutritive  qualities ;  support  on  an  acre  of  pasture  such  a  quantity  of  stock ;  will 
improve  the  soil  more  quickly ;  or  so  effectually  stop  and  fill  up  a  wash  or  gully.  But,  on 
the  other  hand,  its  extirpation,  when  once  well  established,  is  almost  impossible  ;  though  to 
check  and  weaken  it,  so  far  as  to  grow  a  grain  or  cotton  crop,  is  easy  enough.  To  do  this, 
pursue  the  course  of  the  best  fanners  of  Kentucky  in  their  management  of  a  blue-grass  sod — 
with  a  good  breaking  plow,  having  a  wheel  and  coulter,  and  a  stout  team,  turn  over  evenly 
and  nicely  a  sod  four  inches  thick  and  as  wide  as  the  plow  and  team  are  capable  of,  follow 
in  the  same  furrow  with  another  plow  which  casts  the  dirt  well,  and  thi'ow  out  as  much  of 
the  fresh  earth  on  top  of  the  sod  as  possible  or  the  depth  of  the  soil  will  admit  of  The  crop 
that  follows  can  easily  be  tended  without  disturbing  the  sod,  and  its  gi'adual  decay  will 
greatly  increase  whatever  crop  may  be  planted  on  it — and  that  should  be  a  shading  one, 
com  and  peas  or  pumpkins,  -or  winter  oats  followed  by  peas.  Good  farmers  will  understand 
that  heavy  crops  of  hay  cannot  be  removed,  lor  many  successive  years,  from  any  laud,  with- 
out some  return  in  the  shape  of  manure.  To  the  careful,  judicious  farmer,  who  wishes  to 
improve  his  land  and  his  stock,  and  who  does  not  expect  to  grow  any  crop  without  ti-ouble, 
and  who  uses  good  plows,  and  keeps  a  stout  team  and  that  in  prime  order,  we  earnestly 
recommend  to  try  an  acre  or  two  of  this  grass,  in  a  situation  where  it  camiot  readily  spread. 
To  the  careless  farmer  we  say,  touch  it  not."t 

The  same  gentleman  writes  me  under  date  of  Dec.  10th,  1846  : 

"  Bermuda  grass  well  set,  which  affords  the  finest  and  most  nutritious  pasturage  I  have 
ever  seen,  will  keep  almost  any  number  of  sheep  to  the  acre — tlu-ee  or  four  times  as  many 
as  the  best  blue-grass  !  " 

Unless  this  is  gross  and  willful  exaggeration,!  l>ere  you  have  a  grass 
which  is  not  only  highly  palatable  and  nutritive,  but  which  will  yield 
more  than  double  both  of  pasturage  and  hay,  than  the  best  grass  or  clover 
of  the  Northern  States!  1|  It  has  been  tried  as  far  south  as  New-Orleans, 
and  the  climate  found  no  detriment  to  it.  It  will  flourish  on  dry  and  al- 
most barren  sands. §  What  can  the  farmer  on  the  dry  lands  of  the  tide- 
water zone  ask  more  1    Its  inextirpable  character  I  regard  as  decidedly  in 

*  Cnmberlatid  Grass — Wire  grass  of  Virginia — Creepins  Pani^  grass. 

t  .See  Norman's  .Southern  Agricultural  Almanac,  for  18-17. 

X  Neither  of  which  are  we  permitted  to  suspect,  from  the  well-ltnowft  character  and  intelhgence  of  Mr. 
Affleck. 

II  People  here  in  the  North  sometimes  talk  of  getting  three  tons  of  timothy  and  four  tons  of  clover  (at 
two  cuttings)  per  acre,  but  it  is  not  done  on  one  acre  in  ten  thousand,  on  the  best  meadows  !  Two  tons  is 
a  good,  and  by  far  above  a  medium  yield,  of  timothy,  and  three,  of  clover.  The  large  amounts  of  Ber- 
muda sometimes  cut,  which  Mr.  A.  does  not  mention  for  fear  of  "  straining  the  belief  of  his  romiers,"  ha 
lias  stated  to  tne  personally,  to  be  eigitt  tnns  1  '. — equivalent  to  the  yield  of  tliree  tirst-rate  acres  of  liuioth/ 
on  the  best  grazing  lands  of  Southern  New-York. 

§  Mr.  Affleck  informs  me  he  has  repeatedly  seen  it  growing  w^ll  in  such  situations. 


8HEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  39 

its  favor  on  millions  and  millions  on  the  thinner  and  poorer  soils  of  that 
aone — as  once  admitted,  it  will  put  an  end  to  the  unprofitable  tillage 
practiced  on  them,  and  remove  all  temptation  to  resort  to  it  on  others,  as 
they  are  gradually  rescued  from  barrenness.  It  will  thus  compel  the 
adoption  of  that  pastoral  system  which  can  alone  make  these  lands  prof- 
itable, or  save  them,  if  the  forebodings  of  thftse  who  have  been  reared  on 
them  and  are  deeply  attached  to  them,  can  be  credited,  fiom  ultimate  de- 
sertion.* 0 

You  have  another  fodder  crop — and  which  may  be  made  a  green  ma- 
nuring one,  in  no  respect  inferior  to  clover.  The  pea  is  to  the  South  what 
clover  is  to  the  North.T  There  is  something  in  your  soil  or  climate,  or 
both,  which  seems  to  be  specifically  adapted  to  the  development  of  this 
plant — for  it  flourishes  with  you  under  a  much  greater  variety  of  soils  and 
circumstances  than  at  the  North.  A  leguminous  jilant,  like  clover,  it  draws 
much  of  its  aliment  from  the  atmosphere ;  and  it  is  perhaps  as  sensibly 
affected  by  the  same  cheap  manure,  plaster.  Its  haulm  or  straw,  if  cut  and 
cmed  greenish,  and  well  taken  care  of,  makes  a  good,  rich  fodder  relished 
by  all  kinds  of  stock.  Peas  are  gieedily  eaten  by  neat  stock,  swine,  and 
sheep,  f(jr  which  they  form  a  heahhy  and  highly  nutritious  food.  The 
white  field  pea  of  the  North  is  considered  equivalent  to  our  corn,J  by 
measure,  in  fattening  swine.  For  sheep,  and  particularly  for  breeding 
ewes,  there  is  probably  no  feed  in  the  world  equal  to  nicely  cured  pea 
haulm, II  with  a  portion  of  the  seed  left  iinrhreslied.§  It  gives  them  condi- 
tion and  vigor — and  prepares  them  to  yield  a  bountiful  supply  of  nch  milk 
to  their  young. 

Though  the  pea  is  an  annual,  it  becomes  in  effect  a  perennial.  South, 
when  it  is  desired,  by  StifTcring  it  to  stand  until  some  of  the  grain  shells 
out.^  It  ^vill  mature  in  a  southex'n  climate,  sown  late  in  the  summer,  so 
that  one,  and  even  two  preceding  crops  of  it  might  first  be  plowed  in  as  a 
manure.  It  will  ripen  among  Indian  com,  sown  after  that  plant  has  ceased 
to  grow,  and  there  have  been  successful  experiments  of  sowing  it  late  with 
wheat,  oats,  &c.,  to  have  it  obtain  its  growth  (to  be  plowed  under  as  ma- 
nure) after  those  crops  have  been  harvested. 

Sprengel  gives  the  following  analysis  of  the  pea.  1,000  parts  in  the 
common  dry  state  yield— 


.NV.rf.  ;Straw.  I                                                                      .S-trf  Strait. 

Potash  and  soda 15-.-)0             2 -Sn  |  Sulphuric  acid 0-5'2  3-33 

Lime  and  mapnesia 1-95           30  70  |  CIdorine -38  0-00 

Phosphoric  acid 1-90             2-40  I  Silica,  iron,  &;c 4-40  10-85 


*  Statements  of  thia  kind  have  been  repeatedly  made  in  the  pages  of  the  Monthly  Farmer  by  southern 
gentlemen. 

t  I  had  labored  under  the  impression  that  the  so-called  pea — cultivated  as  a  manurincr  crop  in  the  South- 
em  Slates,  was  in  reality  a  variety  of  the  bran  ;  but  Mr.  Kuffin  in  his  Agricultural  ^^urvcy  of  South  Caro- 
lina, (see  Report  of  1(*43,  p  81.)  and  Hon.  W  B.  Seabrook  in  his  Memoir  on  Cotion  Culture,  (see  Monthly 
Journal  of  Ain-irulmre,  Dec,  1845,  p.  267.)  speaks  of  this  crop — the  former  again  and  Rsnin—as  pens,  with- 
out the  qualification  which  would  be  expected  from  gentlemen  of  so  much  leaniing.  in  case  they  w»'ro 
epeakins  of  a  plant  by  a  vulgar  misnomer,  in.stead  of  its  real  name.  The  peculiar  value  of  the  crop  at  the 
8outh  in  the  particulars  described,  I  tind  asserted  by  Mr.  Ruffin,  Mr.  Affleck,  and  various  other  writers  and 
Aericultural  Societies,  in  tht  ttrongtst  tirms,  and  therefore  it  makes  liitle  dili'frence,  practically,  whether 
the  name  is  correct  or  not ,  but  if  not,  the  following  analyses,  &c.,  are  misplaced.  Tne  bean  rcfiemblea 
the  pea  in  its  qualities  and  value,  but  is  rather  infcriur  to  iu 

t  The  small,  hard  com  of  the  North  contains  more  nutriment  per  bushel  than  the  large  southern  com. 

li  That  is,  cut  and  cured  so  that  it  will  come  out  of  the  stock  or  mow  bright,  and  with  the  leaves  looking 
green— instead  of  having  the  ferruginous  hue  of  over-rijH!  clover. 

5  If  cut  greenish  and  well  cured,  the  greener  \n<iU  will  not  thresh  out  readily,  and  then  they  are  in  ex- 
actly the  proper  condition  for  brceding-cwea.  If  the  crop  is  verj-  light,  cut  it  when  all  the  pods  are  quite 
green,  and  feed  it  out  without  threshing. 

^  This  is,  however,  poor  economy  in  any  case.  If  the  ohiec  is  peas,  it  is  wa.=teful  to  the  crop,  and  the 
quantit}-  sown  is  uncertain  ;  besides,  the  hxulm  is  ruined  for  fodiler.  If  the  object  is  manure,  the  lose  is 
still  erealer.  Plants  in  dryinz  lose  the  nitrogen  contained  in  their  sup,  give  up  tliiir  caline  maiter.s.  and  are 
"  reeolved  more  or  less  completely  into  carbonic  arid,  which  escM})e8  into  the  nir,  and  is  so  lar  lost  "—See 
Liehig  on  this  subject,  and  also  the  clear  and  able  remarks  of  Johnston,  (Johnston's  Agricultural  Chemistry, 
vol.  ii  p.  17t>,  a  su/na.) 


40 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


The  following  table  of  the  comparative  value  of  manures,  deduced  from 
analyses  made  by  Payen  and  Boussingault,  will  show  the  remarkable  com- 
parative value  of  the  pea  as  a  manuring  crop,  and  it  will  be  found  other- 
wise useful  for  reference  : 

TABLE  No.  i. 


Kinds  of  Manure. 


Farm  jaril  dung 

Dung  water 

Wheat  straw 

Rye  straw 

Oat  straw 

Barley  straw 

Wheat  chatF. 

Pea  straw 

Millet  straw 

B  uckwheat  straw 

Dried  potato  tops 

With'd  I'ves  of  beet-roo! 

Do.  of  potatoes 

Do.  of  can-ots 

Do.  of  heather 

Do.  of  oak 

Do.  of  poplar 

Do.  of  beech 

Clover  roots 

Burned  sea-weed 

Oyster  shells 

Sea  shells 

Sea-side  marl 

.Solid  cow-dung 

Urine  of  cows 

Solid  horse-dung 

Horse  urine 

Pig  dung 

Sheep  dung 

Pigeon  dung 

G-uano 

Do 

Fresh  bones 

Feathers 

^Vo()len  rags 

Horn  shavings 

Coal  soot 

Wood  soot 

Picard  V  ashes 


yUrogen  in  i       (Quality 
lOU  of  matter,  accordiug  to 
I         state. 


D'y- 

1-95 
1-54 
0-30 
0-20 
0  ■  To 
O-'Jti 
0-a4 
1-9.". 
0-96 
0-54 
0-43 
4 -."50 
2-30 
2-94 
1-90 
1-.57 
1-17 
1-91 
1-77 
0-40 
0-40 
O-O.". 
0-.j'2 
2-30 
3-80 
2-21 

12 -.50 
3-37 
2-9!l 
9-02 
6-20 

1.5-73 

17-61 

•20-26 

1.5-78 

1-.59 

1-31 

0-7J 


Wet.  ,  Dry.i    Wet. 


0-41 
0-06 
0-24 
0->7 
0-28 
0-23 
0-8.5 
1-79 
0-78 
0-48 
0-37 
0-.50 
0-.5.5 
0-8.5 
1-74 
1-18 
0-54 
1-lB 
1-61 
0-38 
0-32 
0-05 
0-51 
0-32 
0-44 
0-55 
2-61 
0-63 
1-11 
8-30 
5-00 
13-95 
5-31 
15-34 
17-98 
14-36 
1  -35 
1-15 
0-65 


100  100 


15 

10 

18 

13 

48 

100 

49 

27 

22 

230 

117 

150 

97 

80 

66 

78 

90 

20 

20 

3 

26 

117 

194 

113 

641 

172 

153 

462 

323 

807 

903 

1039 

J?09 

81 

67 

36 


60 

42-5 
70 
.57-5 
212-5 
447-5 
195 
1-20 
92 
125 
137 
212-5 
425 
293 
134 
294 
402-5 
95 
80 
13 
1-28 
80 
110 
137 
6.52 
1.57-5 
277-5 
2075 
1247 
3487 
1326 
3835 
4495 
3590 
337-5 
287-5 
162-5 


Equivalent 
according 
^o  statt. 

Dry.   "■ 


100 

1-27 

6.50 

975 

542 

7.50 

207 

100 

203 

361 

453 

43 

85 

66 

103 

125 

167 

102 

110 

488 

488 

37.50 

377 

84 

•  51 

88 

15J 

58 

65 

2i  J 

31.^ 

12^ 

11 

^ 

1-22 
149 
275 


100 
68 
167 
235 
143 
174 
47 
22 
51 
83 
108 
80 
73 
47 
23 
34 
74 
34 
25 
105 
125 
769 
78 
125 
91 
73 
151 
63 
36 
5 
80 
■2V\ 


Remarks. 


Average  of  Beclielbronn. 
Wa.«hed  by  the  rain. 
Fresh  of  Alsace,  1838. 
Of  Alsace. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

Of  mangel-wurzel. 
Withered  lop  and  leaves. 

Dried  in  the  air. 
Leaves  fallen  in  autumn. 

do. 

do. 
Dried  in  the  air. 


Dried  sea-shells  of  Dunkirk 


The  horse  drank  but  little,  the 
[urine  was  thick. 

Of  Bechelbronn. 
Imp.  into  Eng.  in  its  ord.  state. 
Imp.  into  France,         do. 
As  sold  by  the  melters. 


It  will  be  seen  that  pea  straw  is  worth,  as  a  manure,  from  5  to  9  limes 
as  much  as  the  straws  of  the  small  grains — is  better  than  clover  roots,  and 
actually  equals  farm-yard  dung  ! 

Rye,  oats  and  barley  send  up  a  good  growth  of  straw,  in  many  parts 
of  this  zone,  even  where  tlie  product  of  grain  is  small ;  and,  sown  in  the 
fall,  they  afford  sweet  green  pa.sturage,  during  the  entire  winter,  in  the 
more  southern  latitudes.  Tliis  is  a  very  important  and  a  very  favorable 
consideration  in  an  economical  system  of  sheep  husbandry.  All  winter 
green  feed  (roots)  in  the  Northern  States  must  be  cultivated,  harvested, 
protected  from  the  frosts  of  winter  in  cellars,  and  daily  fed  out — which  ne- 
cessarily renders  it  expensive.  AVhere  winter  field  crops  can  be  depas- 
tured on  the  ground,  it  saves  the  greatest  proportion  of  this  expense  ;  and, 
though  winter  Qri-een  feed  is  not  indispensable  to  sheep,  it  promotes  their 
liealth,  early  maturity,  and  is  especially  valuable  to  breeding-ewes.  All 
the  crops  above  named,  too,  can  be  profitably  made  use  of  as  green 
manure. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  41 

Blades  of  com,  well  cured,  are  relished  by  sheep,  and  they  thrive  on 
them.* 

The  sweet  potato  is  also  readily  eaten  by  them,  and  it  fattens  them  per- 
haps as  rapidly  as  any  other  root  crop.  Althouirh  it  nii<rht  be  regarded  as 
too  valuable  for  sheep  feed,  in  regions  where  the  whole  force  is  given  to 
the  culture  of  cotton,  there  are  others  where,  I  cannot  but  believe,  it  might 
be  occasionally  if  not  regularly  resorted  to  with  ])rofit,  unless  rye,  oats, 
barley,  &c.  can  be  provided  so  much  more  cheaply  that  it  is  no  object  so 
to  do.  It  is  so  cheaply  planted  by  slips,  and  tilled  with  so  little  trouble, 
and  it  so  admirably  prepares  land  for  subsequent  crops, t  that,  on  rich  and 
otherwise  favorable  soils,  my  imj)ression  is  strong  it  is,  at  all  events,  as 
cheap  a  winter  feed  for  stock  in  the  South  as  the  Irish  potato  is  in  the 
North.  Its  average  yield  is  about  two-thirds  that  of  the  latter.  The  Irish 
potato  is  universally  regarded  as  one  of  the  cheapest  feeds  that  can  be 
given  to  all  kinds  of  stock,  to  which  it  is  adapted  in  the  North.  It  is  true 
that  it  is  not  fed  so  much  as  it  would  otherwise  be,  with  us,  in  the  winter, 
by  reason  of  the  cold.  It  is  difficult  to  protect  this  root  from  freezing,  and 
at  the  same  time  leave  it  accessible  for  daily  feeding,  without  putting  it  in 
dwelling-house  cellars,  which  are  usually  at  some  distance  from  the  feed- 
ing barns  and  yards  ;  and  besides,  the  conversion  of  this  citadel  of  a  north- 
ern matron's  culinary  stores,  into  a  great,  dirty  root  pit,  would  be  a  most 
giierous  infringement  on  all  the  canons  of  good  housewifery  ! 

The  foregoing  facts  show  that  the  Southern  States  have  already  all  that 
is  necessary  to  feed  stock  and  fertilize  their  fields.  Their  pea,  take  it  all 
in  all,  is  a  full  equivalent  for  the  clover  of  the  North.|  By  means  of  it — 
of  BeiTiiuda  and  some  other  grasses — aided  by  the  droppings  of  sheep,  and 
other  cheap  and  convenient  manures,  a  large  proportion  of  the  tide-water 
aone,  now  so  unproductive,  can  be  converted  into  grazing  lands,  which  will 
yield  as  good  a  per  centage  on  present  capital  and  investment  as  the  best 
cotton  uplands,  and  produce  wool  at  a  less  expense  per  pound  than  any  re- 
gion of  the  United  States  north  of  the  Potomac. 


•  A  friend  of  mine  wintered  a  few  Merino  sheep  on  not  only  the  blades,  but  the  stalks,  of  our  northern 
com,  choppina  the  whole  up  together,  and  adding  a  little  bran  or  shorts.  He  found  it  cheap  feed,  and  the 
sheep  got  fat  enough  to  slaughter  before  spring. 

t  After  the  crop  is  harvested,  swine  are  turned  in,  and  they  root  the  ground  over  so  deeply  and  thor- 
oughly that  it  is  in  a  better  state  of  tillage  than  could  be  produced  by  mere  spring  plowing. 

J  Mr.  Ruffin,  the  erent  advocate  for  clover,  admits  that  in  the  South  it  is  not  titted  to  precede  Indian  com, 
on  account  of  the  destructive  cut  worms  it  harbors,  unless  the  land  be  plowed  ■'  early  in  winter."  or  other 
precautionary  steps  are  taken.  The  pea  is  not  liable  to  this  objection.  See  Rufiin's  Ag.  Survey  of  S.  C, 
1843,  p.  78. 


42  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


LETTER  IV. 

THE  ADAPTATION  OF  THE  SOILS,  HERBAGE,  &c.  OF  THE  SOUTHERN 
STATES  TO  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY,  CONTINUED.  2.  OF  THE  MIDDLE  OR 
HILLY  ZONE.  3.  OF  THE  MOUNTAIN  REGION. 


Climate,  Poils,  and  Productions  of  the  Middle  or  Hilly  Zone — Its  evident  Adaptation  to  Sheep  Husbandry 

The  Mountain  Region..  .Altitudes  of  different  Ranijesand  Peaks — Their  general  ."^hape — Freedom  from 

Rocks,  Precipices,  &i; Table  Lands— Their  Geological  Formations — Products..  .Mr.  Clingraan's  Letter 

describing  the  Roan  and  other  Mountains  in  North  Carolina — Mr.  Buckley's  Counter  Matements..  .Mr. 
Earle's  Description  of  the  Mountains  in  Henderson  and  Rutherford  Counties,  Noilh  Carolina. .  .Col.  Cols- 
ton's Statements  in  relation  to  the  Mountains  in  Berkley  County,  Virginia. .  .Hon.  A.  Stevenson's  in  rela- 
tion to  the  Blue  Ridge,  and  the  Mountains  in  the  .South-west  of  Virginia — Hon.  W.  L.  Goggin's  in  relation 
to  the  same. .  .Judge  Beatty's  Account  of  Sheep  Husbandry  on  the  Cumberland  Mountains— Mr.  Kramer's 

Mr.  Buckley's  Views  in  relation  to  the  North  Carolina  Mountains  examined  and  objected  to. ..Climate 

of  the  Roan  and  others  compared  with  that  of  the  Grazing  Lands  of  New-York. .  -Statistics  showing  the 
Forwardness  of  the  Seasons  and  the  Temperature  in  New-York.. .Efl'ect  of  Elevation  on  Temperature- 
On  Vegetable  Productions. 

Dear  Sir :  The  middle  or  hilly  zone  is  high,  dry,  healthy,  and  has  a 
mild  and,  compared  with  the  North,  equable  climate.*  Its  soils  possess 
the  ingi'edients  due  to  its  formation — disintegi'ated  granite — and  are  far 
more  fertile  than  those  of  the  lower  zone.  Sometimes  on  the  summits  of 
the  hills  they  are  poor  and  thin,  and  there  are  occasionally  extensive  ranges 
of  poor  land,  as  in  Virginia  ;  but  as  a  general  thing,  they  vary  from  fair  to 
good ;  and  on  the  bottom  lands  of  some  of  the  rivers  and  larger  creeks, 
they  possess  remarkable  fertility.  The  valleys,  however,  are  generally 
nan'ow,  and  are  everywhere  the  bed  of  streams,  which  abundantly  water 
this  whole  region,  and  furnish  inexhaustible  facilities  for  mills  and  manu- 
factories. The  slight  cohesion  of  the  soil,  aided  by  the  face  of  the  country 
and  the  system  of  tillage  pursued  in  many  parts  of  it,t  render  it  peculiarly 
subject  to  washing  by  heavy  rains.  The  hill-sides  are  frequently  cut  into 
deep  gullies,  rendering  aration  difficult,^  and  the  surface  soil  is  washed 
into  the  valleys  and  into  the  beds  of  the  creeks,  not  only  impoveiTishing  the 
high  lands,  but,  by  impeding  the  courses  of  the  streams,  in  some  regions 
converting  those  of  the  valleys  into  unhealthy  marshes. || 

Grasses  suited  to  the  climate  flourish  ?vken  sown,  and  on  lands  not  ut- 
terly worn  out,  throughout  all  this  region ;  and  there  is  little  doubt  that 
every  variety  which  could  be  acclimated  on  the  sands  of  the  lower  zone, 
could  be  more  readily  acclimated  here — and  probably  various  othei's.  The 
pea  succeeds  in  nearly  every  situation  ;  oats  also  form  a  valuable  ma- 
nuring crop  in  some  parts  ;  while  on  many  of  the  alluvial  bottoms,  such, 
for  example,  as  the  Blackjack  lands  of  South  Carolina — rye  grows  luxuri- 
antly, answering  a  valuable  purpose  either  for  grain,  manure,  or  for  winter 

*  The  range  of  the  thermometer  is  sometimes  60°  to  75°  in  a  single  month  (March  or  April)  in  New- 
York! 

t  That  is.  a  constant  succession  of  clean  tillage  crops,  such  as  cotton,  com,  and  tobacco. 

j  The  Fishing  Creek  Agricultural  Society,  in  their  Report  hef<ire  quoted  from,  say  :  "The  only  really 
waste  land  we  have  is  our  old  fields,  many  of  which  are  so  washed  and  gullied  as  to  be  absolutely  irre- 
claimable." Mr.  Ruffin  says  that  "  the  destruction  both  of  soil  and  of  fertihty  has  been  enormous  "  from 
this  cause. 

II  "  The  country  was,  at  first,  as  its  features  indicated,  nearly  free  from  malaiia  and  all  its  nosious  effects. 
But  as  soon  as  the  incessant  and  injudicious  use  of  the  plow  caused  the  soil  to  be  washed  from  the  hilly 
grounds  Into  the  bottoms,  the  before  unobstructed  clean  bordered  channels  of  all  the  small  streams  were 
filled  and  clogged  vnth  earth,  and  vegetable  rubbish,  and  finer  matter,  and  the  adjnceiu  low  Uinds  were 
thereby  rendered  swampy.  The  washing  of  the  high  land  earth  into  the  valleys  so  altered  the  oridnal  sur- 
face level  as  to  kill  the  trees  ;  and  their  decay,  and,  later,  the  olistnutious  by  iheir  fallen  trunks,  increased  the 

general  evil I  infer  "that  these  causes  "have  mainly  served  to  nourish  malaria  and  increase  the 

malignity  of  disease."     [Ruffin's  Ag.  Survey  of  S.  C,  1843,  p.  y6.J 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  43 


feed  for  stock.     In  this  last  particular,  it  would  be,  as  I  have  before  said, 
an  important  auxiliary  in  slit-cp  husbandry- 

The  adaptation  of  most  of  this  n><rion  to  sheep  husbandry  is  too  obvious 
to  refjuire  extended  comment  ;  and  it  becomes,  therefore,  simply  a  (jura- 
tion of  profit  and  loss,  wluther  it  is  expedient  to  introduce  it.*  Let  us  turn 
therefore,  to  the  adaptation  of  the  mountain  region  to  this  branch  of  industry 

The  altitude  of  the  soutliern  mountains,  with  a  few  exceptions,  is  not 
very  considerable.  The  loftiest,  the  Black  and  the  Roan,  in  North  Caro- 
lina, are  respectively  6,476  and  6,0.'38  feet  in  hi<rht.  The  Peaks  of  Otter, 
the  highest,  and  summits  of  the  Blue  Ridge  in  Virginia,  are  4,250,  and  the 
highest  Alleganies  2,o00  feet  high.  Table  Mountain  in  South  Carolina 
is  about  4,000,  and  the  terminal  masses  of  the  lilue  Ridge  in  Georgia  are 
about  l,500.t  The  hight  of  the  Cumberland  Mountains,  the  most  western 
chain,  I  nowhere  find  stated,  but  they  are  not  reputed  as  high  as  some  of 
the  preceding.  It  will  be  seen,  therefore,  that  none  of  the  southern  moun- 
tains rise  above  the  range  of  the  grasses.  They  are  usually  broad  at  the 
base,  easy  of  ascent,  and  rounded  or  flattened  on  their  suminits,  instead 
of  rising  from  naiTow  bases  into  steej)  pyramidal  ft)rms  with  conical  peaks  ; 
and  from  their  geological  formations  and  their  shape  (resulting  pnjbably 
from  that  formation,)  they  are  uncommonly  free  from  exposed  rocks,  preci- 
pices and  abrupt  acclivities.  With  the  exception,  perhaps,  of  the  Cum- 
berland chain,  large,  exposed  rocks  abound  far  less,  on  most  of  these 
mountains  than  in  many  parts  of  New-England,  or  even  the  Old  Red  Sand-, 
stone  region  of  Pennsylvania,  which  are  not  only  pastured,  but  plowed  ! 
Indeed,  a  side-hill  plow,  drawn  by  oxen,  could  be  used  on  very  many  of 
the  southern  mountains,  if  cleared,  to  their  very  summits  ;  and  this  is  true, 
singular  as  it  may  appear,  of  some  of  the  loftiest  of  them.|  The  Cumber- 
land Mountains  are  spoken  of  by  Doct.  Morse,  as  "  stupendous  piles  of 
craggy  rocks,"  and  in  these  statements  he  has  been  followed  by  more  re- 
cent geographers.  But  if  this  descri2:)tion  applies  to  some  portions  of  the 
chain,  it  certainly  does  not  to  others,  as  I  shall  have  occasion  to  show. 

On  the  sides,  and  sometimes  on  the  summits  of  the  mountains  in  differ- 
ent parts  of  this  whole  region,  extensive  plains  or  table  lands,  already 
pretty  well  covered  with  wild  and  domestic  grasses  and  nutritious  escu- 
lents, not  unfrequently  occur.  Esculents  suitable  for  sheep  are  to  be 
found  in  greater  or  less  quantities  on  nearly  all  of  them. 

West  of  the  summit  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  the  geological  formations,  as 
has  before  been  stated,  belong  to  the  Transition  period — a  rather  unusual 
circumstance  in  mountain  ranges,  and  imdoubtedly  more  indicative  of 
feitility  in  the  superincumbent  soils  than  the  ordinary  Primary  formation. || 
Indeed,  they  are  the  same  with  those  of  the  best  grazing  lands  of  South- 
em  New-York,  and  subtracting  climatic  and  other§  effects  of  elevation, 
they  should  possess  a  general  correspondence  in  theii"  properties  and  pro- 
ducts, with  the  latter.^ 

*  This  question  will  be  fully  diDcussrd  in  a  subsequent  letter. 
t  For  these  HllituHes  I  am  indebted  to  Professor  Mitchell. 

IFor  example,  the  Ronn. 
It  is  true  that  soils  formed  from  Primary  rocks,  when  suffiriently  fertile  to  sustain  herbace  of  any  kind, 
are  pecuharly  adapted  to  the  production  of  sweet  gi-asses ;  but  uiountniiis  of  this  fr)rmiition  are  U:-u»lly 
Bteeper,  from  the  slower  di'coniposition  of  yriiniie,  gneiss,  nnd  oilier  I'rimary  rocks,  and  their  steepncg-<  ex- 
poses them  to  increased  abrasion,  or  wa-shing.  Hence  their  soils  frequently  but  thinly  cover  the  rocks, 
and  arc  of  a  meacer  and  lixiviated  character. 

&  To  wit.  abrasion  and  denudation  by  rains.  And,  raoreovcsr,  the  "  northern  drift  "  of  New-York  has  added 
a  little  limf  to  the  soils  formed  irom  ttiesn  rocks,  and  thus  supplied,  measurably,  a  want  existing  in  all  of 
tbem  for  most  tillage  crojis. 

f.  For  example,  the  "  Slate  Hills."  which  rise  on  the  west  of  Aucusta.  Rockinjhnm,  .Shenandoah,  Fred- 
erick and  some  other  counties  in  Viijifiia.  are  composed  of  the  same  rock.s  (Ilamilion  cronp,  iniUidin^ 
Genesee  slate  of  ihe  New-York  system.)  which  underlie  some  of  the  best  soils  in  New-York  :  «nd  mui-h 
cf  the  land  between  these  hills  and  the  Alleganies  restb  on  the  same  rocks,  (Chemung,)  which  underlie 
the  souihera  grazing  region  of  New-York. 


44  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE   SOUTH. 

In  asceitaining  the  particular  products  of  these  mountains,  their  climate, 
and  general  adaptation  to  sheep  husbandry,  I  will  first  call  your  attention 
to  the  often  quoted  letter  from  Hon.  T.  L.  Clingman,  of  North  Carolina, 
to  John  S.  Skinner,  Esq.,  in  1844.     Mr.  Clingman  says  : 

"  You  state  that  you  have  directed  some  attention  to  the  Sheep  Husbandry  of  the  United 
Sfcites,  in  the  course  of  wliich  it  has  occurred  to  you  that  the  peoj)le  of  the  mountain  repons 
of  North  CaroUna.  and  some  of  the  other  Southern  States,  liavo  not  availed  themselves  sulH- 
ciently  of  their  natural  advantages  for  the  production  of  sheep.  Being  myself  well  acquaint- 
ed with  the  western  section  of  North  Carolina,  I  may  perhaps  be  able  to  dve  you  most  of 
the  information  you  desire.  As  you  have  directed  several  of  your  inquiries  to  the  county 
of  Vancey,  (I  presume  from  the  fact,  well  known  to  you,  that  it  contains  the  highest  moun- 
tains in  ;uiy  of  the  United  States.)  I  will,  in  the  first  place,  turn  my  attention  to  that  county. 
First,  as  to  its  elevation.  Dr.  Mitchell,  of  our  University,  ascertained  that  the  bed  of  Tow 
Kiver,  the  largest  stream  in  tlie  county,  and  at  a  ford  near  its  center,  was  about  2,200  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  ocean.  Burnsville,  the  seat  of  the  court-house,  he  found  to  be  be- 
tween 2,800  and  2,900  feet  above  it.  Tiie  general  level  of  the  country  is,  of  course,  much 
above  this  elevation.  In  fact,  a  number  of  the  mountain  summits  rise  above  the  hight  of 
6,000  feet.  The  climate  is  delightfully  cool  during  the  summer;  in  fact  there  are  verj'  few 
places  in  the  county  where  the  thermometer  rises  above  80°  on  the  hottest  day.  An  intel- 
ligent gentleman  who  passed  the  summer  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county  (rather  the 
more  elevated  portion  of  it)  informed  me  that  the  thermometer  did  not  rise  on  the  hottest 
da  's  above  76°. 

'  You  ask,  in  the  next  place,  if  the  surface  of  the  ground  is  so  mucn  covered  with  rocks  as 
to  render  it  unfit  for  pasture  ?  The  reverse  is  the  fact;  no  portion  of  the  county  that  I  have 
passed  over  is  too  rocky  for  cultivation ;  and  in  many  sections  of  the  county  one  may  ti'avel 
miles  without  seeing  a  single  stone.  It  is  only  about  the  tops  of  the  higher  mounlaiiLS  that 
rocky  precipices  are  to  be  found.  A  large  portion  of  the  surface  of  the  countj^  is  a  sort  of 
elevated  table-land,  undulating,  but  seldom  loo  broken  lor  cultivation.  Even  as  one  as- 
cends the  higher  mountains,  he  will  find  occasionally  on  their  sides  flats  of  level  land  con- 
taining several  hundred  acres  in  a  body.  The  top  of  the  Roan  (tlie  highest  mountain  in  the 
county  except  the  Black)  is  covered  by  a  prairie  for  ten  miles,  which  affords  a  rich  pasture 
during  the  greater  part  of  the  year.  The  ascent  to  it  is  so  gradual  that  persons  ride  to  the 
top  on  horseback  from  almost  any  direction.  The  same  may  be  said  of  m;my  of  the  otlier 
mountains.  The  soil  of  the  county  generally  is  uncommonly  fertile,  producing  with  tolera- 
ble cultivation  abundant  crops.  What  seems  extraoi-dinary  to  a  stranger  is  the  fact  that  the 
soil  becomes  richer  as  he  ascends  the  mountains.  The  sides  of  the  Roan,  the  Black,  the 
Bald,  and  others,  at  an  elevation  even  of  five  or  sLx  thousand  feet  above  the  sea,  are  covered 
■with  a  deep,  rich  vegetable  mould,  so  soft  that  a  horse  in  dry  weather  often  sinks  to  the  fet- 
lock. The  fact  that  the  soil  is  frequently  more  fertile  as  one  ascends  is,  I  presume,  attrib- 
utable to  the  circumstance  that  the  higher  portions  are  more  commonly  covered  with  clouds ; 
and  the  vegetable  matter  being  thus  kept  in  a  cool,  moist  state  while  decaying,  is  incorpo- 
rated to  a  greater  degree  with  the  surface  of  the  earth,  just  as  it  is  usually  found  that  the 
north  side  of  the  hill  is  richer  th;m  the  portion  most  exposed  to  the  action  of  the  sun's  rays. 
l\\e  sides  of  the  mountains,  the  timber  being  generally  large,  wnth  little  undergrowth  and 
bnishwood,  are  peculiarly  fitted  for  pasture  gi-ounds,  and  the  vegetation  is  in  many  places  as 
luxuriant  as  it  is  in  the  rich  savannah  of  the  low  country. 

"  The  soil  of  every  part  of  the  coiinty  is  not  only  favorable  to  the  production  of  grain,  but 
is  pecuhai-ly  fitted  for  grasses.  Timothy  is  supposed  to  make  the  largest  yield,  two  tons  of 
hay  being  easily  produced  on  an  acre,  but  herds-grass,  or  red-lop,  and  clover  succeed  equally 
well ;  blue-grass  has  not  been  much  tried,  but  is  said  to  do  remarkably  well.  A  friend 
showed  me  several  speai's  which  he  infonned  me  were  produced  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
county,  and  which  by  measurement  were  found  to  exceed  70  inches  in  length.  Oats,  lye, 
potatoes,  turnips,  &c.,  are  produced'in  the  greatest  abundance. 

"  With  respect  to  the  prices  of  land,  I  can  assure  you  that  large  bodies  of  uncleared,  rich 
land,  most  of  which  might  be  cultivated,  have  bee,n  sold  at  prices  varying  from  25  cents  to 
50  cents  per  acre.  Any  quantity  of  land  favorable  for  sheep-walks  might  be  procured  ia 
any  section  of  the  county  at  prices  varying  from  one  to  ten  dollars  per  acre. 

"  The  few  sheep  that  exist  in  the  county  thrive  remarkalily  well,  and  are  sometimes  per- 
mitted to  nin  at  large  during  the  winter  without  being  fed  and  without  suffering.  As  the 
number  kept  V)y  any  individual  is  not  large  enough  to  justify  the  employment  of  a  shepherd 
to  take  care  of  them,  they  are  not  unfreqiiently  desti-oyed  by  vicious  dogs,  and  more  rarely 
by  wolves,  which  have  not  yet  been  entirely  extenninated. 

"  I  have  been  somewhat  jirolix  in  my  observations  on  this  county,  because  some  of  your 
inquiries  were  directed  particularly  to  it,  and  because  most  of  what  I  have  said  of  Yancey  is 
ti'ue  of  the  other  counties  west  of  the  Blue  Ridge.  Haywood  has  about  the  same  elevation 
aad  climate  as  Yancey.     The  mountaiuB  are  rather  more  steep,  and  the  valleys  somewhat 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  45 

broiuler;  tho  soil  generiilly  not  quite  so  deep,  but  very  iirmluctive,  especiiilly  in  grasses.  lu 
some  sections  of  the  county,  liowever,  the  soil  isocjuul  to  the  best  I  liave  seen. 

'•  Buncombe  anil  Ilemlerson  are  nitlier  les.s  elevated;  A.-<iiville  and  Hender.-ionville,  tho 
county  towns,  beinj;  eaili  ai)out  2,20(1  fi-et  above  the  sea.  Tho  eliniate  is  nun  h  ilie  sjinie, 
but  a  \er\  little  vviuiiier.  The  more  bi-oken  portions  of  these  counties  resemble  much  tho 
mountainous  piuts  of  Yancey  and  Haywood,  but  they  contain  much  more  level  land.  In- 
deed the  pi'i'ater  |>orti(in  of  Henderson  is  ipiite  level.  It  contains  unich  swamp  land,  whirJi, 
■when  cleared,  with  veiy  little  if  any  drainajie,  ])nKluces  vei-y  hue  crops  of  heids-gra.ss.  I'or- 
tions  of  Macon  and  Cherokee  counties  are  quite  as  tuvorable,  both  ;is  to  climate  and  soil,  its 
those  above  described.  I  would  advert  j)articularly  to  the  vailoy  of  the  Niint;dialah,  in  Ma- 
con, and  of  Cheoh,  in  Cherokee.  In  either,  Ibr  a  compar.ilively  triHiii<;  price,  some  ten  or 
fifteen  miles  S(|u;u-e  could  be  procured,  all  of  which  would  be  rich,  ami  tiie  major  part  suf- 
ficiently level  l()r  cultivation,  and  especially  fitted,  as  their  natural  meadows  inthcate,  for  tho 
production  of  iirass. 

"  In  conclu.-iion,  I  may  say,  that  as  far  as  my  limited  knowledire  of  such  matters  authorizes 
me  to  speak,  1  am  satislied  that  there  is  no  re^riou  that  is  more  favorable  to  the  production 
of  sheep  tlum  much  of  the  country  I  have  desciibed.  It  is  everywhere  healthy  and  well 
watered.  I  may  add,  too,  that  there  is  water-power  enoufrh  in  the  dirterent  counties  com- 
posiuE  my  Congre.ssion;d  District  to  move  more  machinery  than  hunuui  labor  can  ever  place 
there — enough,  perhaps,  to  move  all  now  existing  in  the  Uuiou." 

A  wTiter  in  the  Albany  Cultivator,  Mr.  S.  B.  Buckley,  of  Yates  county, 
New-York,  who  has  visited  these  mountains,  thus  objects  to  the  views  of 
Mr.  Clingman  : 

"  These  mountains  have  a  cold,  damp  climate,  the  snmmits  of  the  highest  being  covered 
•with  clouds  and  mists  a  large  portion  ol  the  summer  season.  Cold  rains  are  of  frequent  oc- 
currence, doubtless  causing  the  deep  vegetable  mould  alluded  to  by  Mr.  C.  A  large  por- 
tion of  the  county  of  Yancey  is  an  elevated  table-land  which  is  so  damp  and  cold  that  the 
inhabitants  do  not  raise  com  sufficient  for  their  own  consumption Mr.  Husted  in- 
formed me  that  iii  many  seasons  there  was  scarcely  a  month  in  the  year  without  fi-ost  .... 
that  he  had  been  on  the  top  of  the  Roan  on  the  2.5th  of  .luue,  when  a  snow-  storm  arose  and 
completely  covered  the  mountaiu,  aiid  that  there  were  few  days  hi  the  year  l>ut  that  it  was 

foggy  on  the  Roan I  have  ascended  most  of  the  high  mountains  in  thjit  State,  and 

rarely  without  encountering  a  storm,  or  finding  their  tops  coveied  with  mists,  which  disap- 
peared in  the  cool  of  the  evening,  to  be  resumed  by  the  warming  ravs  of  the  moiTow's  sun. 
Iq  encamping  on  the  mountains,  I  generally  found  the  thennometer  to  range  liom  45'^  to  60'-', 
and  on  the  high  mountains,  during  the  day,  it  seldom  rose  above  6^P.  The  inhabitants  of 
the  valleys  pay  great  attention  to  the  raising  of  cattle  and  horses,  which,  in  the  sunimer  sea- 
son, are  turned  ujwn  the  mountains  in  what  is  termed  'the  range,' which  con.-iists  of  tall 
■weeds,  native  grasses,  and  in  many  places  wliite  clover  has  become  naturalized.    *    *    *    » 

"  These  remarks  will  a])i)ly  more  or  less  to  the  mountainous  regii>n  of  Havwood  and  Ma- 
con counties,  from  which  we  conclude  that  they  are  not  suitable  to  the  raisin?  ol'  fine-wooled 
sheep,  judging  from  their  elevation,  damp  and  cold  chmate,  which,  as  before  remarked  bv 
Mr.  C,  creates  a  deep  vegetable  mould,  in  ■which  a  horse  will  sink  up  to  the  fetlock.  Anil 
would  not  sheep  sink  in  also,  and  be  liable  to  have  the  foot-rot  ?  And  in  yeaning  time  would 
not  many  Iambs  be  lost  fix)m  the  frequent  cold  rains  so  cummuu  there  during  the  mouth  of 
May?"» 

In  a  previous  communication  in  the  Cultivator  the  same  writer  says*  t 

"  On  the  12th  of  May  I  arrived  at  Ashville,  (the  capital  of  Buncombe  countv'.)  intending 
to  visit  Mt.  Pisgah,  a  high  conical  mountain  in  full  view,  about  twelve  miles  distant,  over- 
topping its  neighbors.  I  was  told  that  the  season  was  not  far  enough  advanced  to  briii" 
vegetation  forward  on  the  high  mountains.  .  .  .  The  climate  of  this  region  is  not  much,  if 
any,  wanner  than  that  of  Western  New-Y'ork.  During  the  sutnmcr  of  1812,  the  thennome- 
ter ranged  generally  from  70^  to  SS*-"  m  the  valleys,  while  on  the  mountains  it  was  frequently 

about  60°,  and  sometimes  much  lower When  I  left  the  .'<ouiheni  portion  of  Alabama, 

it  was  the  middle  of  March;  the  woods  were  green,  with  their  full  expanded  leaves;  in 
about  a  week  1  had  reached  the  elevated  region  south  of  Iluntsville,  in  the  northern  part  of 
the  State,  where  tlie  leaves  had  not  yet  attained  half  their  usual  size.  From  the  1st  to  the 
10th  of  April,  in  Middle  Tennessee,  the  leaves  were  nearly  full  grown  and  the  inhabitants 
were  busy  in  phmting  com ;  but  at  the  middle  of  April,  for  thirt)-  miles  on  the  tid)le  land  of 
the  Cumberland  Mountains,  the  trees  had  just  begun  to  put  forth  their  leaves,  and  the  ground 
was  white  in  the  morning  with  a  severe  frost.  * 

"  On  descending  into  the  plains  of  East  Tennessee,  the  country  was  green  with  verdure, 
and  the  fanners  were  there  also  busy  in  planting  com,  and  now,  the  middle  of  -May,  among 

•  See  Albany  Cultivator,  1816,  p.  242.  t  lb.,  1846,  p,  174. 


46  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

the  mountains  of  North  Caroluia,  I  found  myself  where  vegetation  had  scarcely  clothed  the 
plains  and  woods  with  green,  while  the  leaves  of  the  high  mountain  trees  w^ere  about  half 
grown.  I  should  also  remark  that  the  sjhnng  of  1842  was  from  two  weeks  to  a  month  ear- 
lier than  usual." 

I  record  a  portion  of  the  last  extract  for  subsequent  reference  ;  and  the 
object  of  these  communications  being  to  arrive  at  the  truth,  and  not  to 
ride  a  favorite  hobby,  or  advance  a  preconceived  theory,  I  have  thought 
it  proper  to  give  the  substance  of  all  this  gentleman's  remarks,  embodying 
as  they  do  all  the  objections,  real  or  supposed,  which  exist  against  the 
highest  mountains  in  the  whole  Southern  States  for  the  pui"poses  of  sheep 
husbandry. 

Per  contra,  we  have  the  following  statements  of  Henry  M.  Earle,  Esq., 
of  Pacolett,  Rutherford  Co.,  North  Carolina  :  * 

"  On  the  question  whether  wool-growing  will  succeed  ffi  North  Carolina  or  not,  I  would 
say  that  it  depends  entirely  upon  the  exertions  used,  as  I  am  thoroughly  convinced  that  the 
country  and  climate  are  altogether  favorable.  The  objections  raised  by  Mr.  Buckley,  if  they 
existed  in  all  the  mountain  region,  might  be  considered  serious  ;  but  as  they  can  only  be  of- 
fered against  a  fevsr  very  high  mountains,  situated  in  the  midst  of  many  other  mountains,  and 
far  from  any  level  or  plain  country,  such  a  hiding  place  as  he  speaks  of  would  not  be  such  a 
place  as  persons  raised  iu  civilized  or  refined  society  would  wish  to  settle  in.  The  Roan 
and  Black  Mountains  were  selected  by  Mr.  Thos.  Clingman,  because  they  were  the  most 
elevated  and  noted  mountains  m  Yancey  Co.,  and  not,  I  presume,  because  he  thought  they 
would  afford  the  best  pasturage  for  sheep  ;  if  so  he  was  mistaken.  On  those  mountains  and 
in  their  vicinity  are  the  finest  gi-azing  lands  for  cattle  ;  and  so  there  is  in  the  low,  marshy 
land  of  South  Carolina ;  but  neither  location  is  favorable  for  sheep.  I  agree  v^^ith  Mr.  Buck- 
ley, '  that  a  large  portion  of  the  county  of  Yancey  is  an  elevated  table  land,  which  is  so 
damp  and  cold  that  the  iuhabitantd  frequently  do  not  raise  com  sufficient  for  their  own  con- 
Bum]Hiou.'  This  is  partly  owing  to  the  climate  ;  but  mostly  to  the  character  of  many  of  the 
inhabitants  of  those  sparsely  mhabited  regions,  where  they  too  fi-equendy  depend  upon  the 
success  of  the  chase  for  the  largest  portion  of  their  subsistence. 

"  But  if  Mr.  Buckley,  or;  any  other  gentleman  of  observation,  will  come  60  miles  far- 
ther south — on  the  line  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  into  Henderson  and  Rutherford  counties,  about 
the  Tryon  Mountain,  which  is  the  first  that  he  will  ascend  in  rising  up  from  the  level  coim- 
try  east  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  along  the  Howard-Gap  Tunipike — high  on  the  acclivity  of  the 
Tryon  he  will  find  a  bench  of  land  which  possesses  a  veiy  peculiar  characteristic.  At  night, 
generally,  there  is  a  pleasant  breeze,  and  for  several  miles  along  the  mountain  side  there  is 
never  any  dew  to  be  found,  and  it  is  very  rare  that  they  have  frost  except  in  winter ;  and 
when  the  whole  country  above  and  below  is  covered  v«th  sleet,  along  this  mountain  side 
there  is  none.  Here  grow  the  finest  native  grajjes  that  I  ever  saw,  and  the  fruit  crop  never 
fails.  And  here  are  grown  the  heaviest  wheat  and  rye  iu  all  the  country.  Here  the  inhabit- 
ants have  the  first  dawn  of  the  morning  sun,  and  persons  unaccustomed  to  the  view  fancy 
that  they  can  almost  see  him  coming  up  from  the  wateiy  deep.  On  the  eastern  side  of  this 
mountain  is  the  earliest  pasturage  in  spring,  and  the  latest  in  the  fall  that  is  found  in  the 
whole  range  of  mountains. 

"  This  location  is  about  46  miles  E.  S.  E.  from  Ashville,  and  20  miles  S.  S.  W.  from 
Rutherfordton.  Here  two  of  those  ever  persevering  men  from  the  North,  called  Yankees, 
have  commenced  to  wall  in  a  vineyard,  and  to  cultivate  the  broom-corn  for  manufacturing 
brooms.  They  have  the  purest  water  that  flows  out  of  the  earth,  and  ai-ound  them  are 
beautiful  cascades  more  than  a  hundred  feet  high,  and  above  them  the  toppUng  peak  of  the 
Tryon. 

"  Thousands  of  persons  throng  this  mountain  region  during  the  suinmer,  to  enjoy  the  pure, 
bracing  atmosphere,  which  on  the  eastern  face  of  the  mountain  is  diy  and  healthfiil ;  but 
farther  back,  in  the  mountains  of  the  French  Broad,  there  is  much  more  dampness  and 
heavy  fogs. 

"  You  may  readily  conclude  that  along  the  eastern  slopes  of  these  mountains,  the  climate 
and  countiy  are  finely  adapted  to  the  growth  of  wool,  as  may  also  be  seen  by  many  of  the  tuie 
flocks  of  native  unimproved  sheep,  which  wander  here  untended,  regardless  of  wolves  or 
dogs,  their  greatest  enemies. 

'•  For  two  hundred  miles  along  the  eastern  slopes  of  these  mountains,  south,  there  are 
situations  well  suited  for  large  flocks  of  sheep,  and  land  is  cheap.  In  many  places  it  does 
not  cost  more  than  20  cents  per  acre,  and  very  fan-  land  may  be  had  for  40  cents  per  acre." 

In  an  Address,t  remarkable  for  the  force  and  pertinency  of  its  sugges- 

*  .See  Albany  Cultivator,  1846,  pp.  335-336. 

\  Delivered  in  Manineburg,  Va.,  Oct.  30th,  1845,  before  the  Berkley  Covmty  Agricultural  Society,  pub- 
lished iu  the  Valley  Fanner,  Dec.  1843,  and  Jan.  1846. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  47 

tiona,  Col.  Edward  Colston,  of  Berkley  county,  Virginia,  makes  the  fol- 
lowing statements : 

"  The  western  part  of  our  county,  containing  perhaps  30,000  acres,  is  monnUiinons.  I 
have  ridden  there  for  ten  miles  without  seeing  a  hnmun  habitation,  and  althoiiirh  from  its 
abundant  herbage  it  might  sustain  for  its  owners  20,000  head  of  sheep,  not  a  single  one  is  te 
be  found  grazing  on  its  surface.  In  this  region  may  be  found,  also,  much  land  tit  for  culti- 
vation,  with  Hue  meadows  and  abundant  water.  Yet  all  this  is  worthless  to  our  cmnmunitv, 
and  a  dead  capital  to  the  pn>prietor3.  There  is  territorj'  and  gi-oss  enough  here  to  be  di- 
vided into  three  or  four  sheep-walks,  eacii  sustaining  from  3.000  to  4,000  sheeji  during  the 
summer,  with  meadow  and  arable  land  enough,  at  a  small  expense,  to  provide  amply  for 
winter  sustenance." 

Hon.  Andrew  Stevenson,  of  Virginia,  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Skinner,*  says  : 

'Virginia  htts  many  advantages  for  breeding  sheep,  not  8urpa.ssed  in  the  United  States. 
The  middle  part  of  the  State,  and  especially  the  whole  range  r)f  the  south-west  Mouutiiius 
and  Blue  Ridge,  afford  the  greatest  facilities  for  fine  sheep-walks.  Hills  covered  with  tine 
herbage,  e.vtensivo  inclosures,  abundance  of  rauuiug  water,  and  well  sheltered  by  trees 
against  the  heat  and  sun  of  summer." 

The  following  extracts  are  from  a  communication  in  the  Monthly  Jour- 
nal of  Agriculture, t  by  Hon.  W.  L.  Goggin,  who  recently  represented  the 
District  he  describes  in  Congress  : 

"  Bedford,  the  county  in  which  I  reside,  is  bounded  on  the  south  side  by  the  Staunton 
River,  on  tlie  north  by  the  James  River,  while  its  western  extremity,  the  whole  length, 

reaches  the  top  of  the  Blue  Ridge The  Peaks  of  OtterJ  are  situated  in  this  county, 

on  the  north-west  comer — they  are  not  only  beautiful  themselves,  when  seen  as  they  are  in 
the  distance,  but  the  whole  range  of  the  Blue  Ridge  presents,  perhaps,  here,  the  most  inter- 
esting view  of  the  kind  iii  the  State.  These  mountains  afford  an  imlimited  range  for  stock, 
and  the  advantjges  for  sheep-walks  (mild  as  is  the  climate,  combined  with  the  productive- 
ness of  the  soil)  that  are  nowhere  equaled,  as  is  believed,  except  by  similar  situations  in 

the  neighboring  counties Ranges  for  sheep  may  be  had  at  a  very  reduced  price  on 

tlie  moimtains,  and  where,  too,  could  be  produced  all  the  grasses  in  which  they  delight,  such 
as  the  red  and  white  clover,  the  meadow  fox-tail,  short  blue  meadow-grass,  lucern,  rye-grass, 
&c.  These  advantages,  and  then  the  beautiful,  clear  streams  which  aboimd  in  all  the  moun- 
tain regions,  invite  a  pastoral  lil'e."  Speaking  of  Amhei-st  and  Nelaon  counties,  he  says: 
'  The  ranges  for  stock  here,  too,  are  extensive,  and  the  beautiful,  rich  mountain  sides  inter- 
spersed with  farm-houses,  some  of  them  even  elegant  mansions,  betoken  an  independence 
among  the  inhabitants  that  is  often  found  in  such  situations.  Many  of  the  mountains,  to 
their  very  summits,  are  covered  with  the  richest  verdure."  Of  Madison  and  Greene  comi- 
ties he  says:  "  Here,  too,  are  abundant  ranges,  and  the  wonder  is  that  sheep  husbandry  is 
not  introduced." 

The  character  of  the  loftier  mountains  of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina, 
for  the  production  of  grasses,  would  seem  to  leave  no  doubt,  in  this  par- 
ticular, in  regard  to  the  lower  ones  which  form  the  prolongation  of  the 
same  chains  in  South  Carolina,  Georgia,  and  Alabama.  Let  us  now  turn 
our  glance  to  the  great  western  chain — the  Cumberland  Mountains — in 
Kentucky  and  Tennessee. 

The  following  extracts  are  from  a  communication  published  by  Hon.  A. 
Beatty  in  the  American  Agriculturist : 

"  But  it  is  not  upon  our  high-priced  rich  lands  alone  that  we  can  carry  on  sheep  husbandry 
to  advantage.  Kentucky  has  a  belt  of  hill  and  mountain  country,  bordering  on  the  Virginia 
line  on  the  east,  and  on  the  rich  lands  of  the  State  on  the  west,  averaeing  about  seveutj'-five 
miles  in  w^idth.  extending  from  the  Ohio  River  and  Big  Sandy,  latitude  38°  30',  to  the  Ten- 
nessee line,  36°  30'  north.  The  whole  of  this  region  is  admirably  adapted  to  sheep  hus- 
bandry ;  the  most  northern  part  but  a  few  minutes  north  of  my  residence,  and  extending 
about  two  degrees  farther  south.  The  lands  are  very  cheap  :  the  State  price  of  those  not 
j'et  appropriated  only  five  cents  per  acre,  and  those  purchased  second-hand,  more  or  less 
improved,  may  be  had  from  2.5  to  50  cents  per  acre,  and  still  less  when  unimproved.  This 
country  in  a  state  of  nature  furnishes,  during  the  spring,  summer,  and  fall  months,  a  fine 
range  for  sheep,  and  is  susceptible  of  great  improvement  by  clearing  up  and  sowing  the  cul- 
tivated grasses  for  winter  feeding.     This  whole  country  is  finely  adapted  to  the  Spanish 

•  Monthly  Journal  of  Aericulture,  July,  lg45,  pp.  37-39.  t  lb.,  October,  1845,  pp.  131-183. 

{  The  loftiest  mountai&B,  aa  before  stated,  of  Virginia. 


48  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

mode  of  sheep  husbandly.  Very  larpe  flocks  might  be  driven  to  the  mountain  region,  some 
thirty  to  sixty  miles  from  tlie  ri<:h  lauds,  immediately  after  shearing  time,  grazed  till  late  in 
the  fall,  and  then  brought  back  to  be  sustained  during  the  winter  on  the  luxuriant  blue 
grass  pastures  of  the  rich  lands  of  the  interior. 

"  A  very  intelligent  Iriend,  residing  in  the  southern  part  of  the  above  district  of  country, 
speaks  of  it  in  tlie  following  tenns  :  '  One  of  the  strongest  proofs  of  this  region  of  comitry 
being  favorable  to  the  growing  of  sheep  stock  is  that  we  are  situated  in  the  .same  degree  of 
north  latitude  with  the  slieep-raising  parts  ot  Spain — Leon,  Estremadura,  Old  Castile,  &c. — 
onlv  that  our  mountains  are  more  richly  and  abundantly  clad  with  luxuriant  wild  gi'asses 
and  fern,  pea  vine,  and  shrubbery,  than  the  mountain  regions  of  Spain;  where  they  raise 
Buch  abundant  stocks  of  sheep.  Wayne  County,  with  a  few  adjoining  counties,  affords  more 
fine  water-power  than  any  country  of  the  same  extent  that  I  have  ever  known ;  and  for 
health,  and  tine,  pure  drinking  water,  no  country  excels  it  on  the  face  of  the  globe.  Now  is 
the  time  to  commence  tlie  lousiness  of  sheep  husbandry,  while  land  can  be  got  almost  for 
nothing.  It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  our  sheep,  which  are  suffered  to  roam  and  graze  in 
the  mountains  altogether,  produce  about  one-fourth  viore  wool  at  a  shearing  than  the  sheep 
that  are  raised  and  grazed  altogether  on  our  farms,  and  of  much  better  quality.''  In  an- 
other part  of  his  letter  he  says  :  '  The  tops  of  the  mountains  of  Spain  are  sterile,  without 
verdure,  producmg  no  food  for  sheep,  or  other  animals,  to  graze  on.  Our  mountains  are 
quite  different.  They  are  thickly  clad  from  bottom  to  top,  and  all  over  the  top,  with  fine 
rich  wild  grasses  and  shrubbery  of  every  variety,  for  stock  to  graze  on.  In  the  midst  of 
our  mountains  are  to  be  found  a  great  abundance  of  salt  water  and  stone  coal  of  the  finest 
quality,  together  with  a  great  variety  of  mineral  waters  and  pure  springs.' 

"  Another  friend,  residing  in  Knox  County,  writes  to  me  :  '  My  sheep  upon  my  fann,  ad- 
joining Barboursville,  do  not  thrive,  even  with  pasture  and  winter  food,  like  the  sheep  in  ' 
the  extremities  of  the  county,  which  have  neither  pastures  nor  winter  food,  except  what 
they  get  in  the  woods.     Without  cultivated  grasses  of  any  description,  sheep  will  live  and 
do  well  all  the  winter,  subsisting  on  the  spontaneous  growth  of  the  country.' 

"  Another  friend,  residing  in  the  northern  poition  of  the  above-described  mountain  region, 
writes  that  '  the  counties  of  Carter  and  Lawrence,  and  the  eastern  portion  of  the  State,  are 
admirably  adapted  to  sheep  husbandry.  There  are  several  flocks'of  sheep  in  this  neighbor- 
hood that  thrive  and  increase  wondei-fully,  running  at  large,  at  little  cost  or  ti-ouble  to  their 
owners.  Many  flocks  have  no  other  reliance,  diuiug  the  winter,  but  what  they  get  ui  the 
woods.  The  great'  advantages  of  tliis  country  for  sheep  husbandry  are,  the  cheapness  of  the 
land,  it  adaptation  to  grasses,  grain,  and  roots — its  healthfulness.  Sheep  delight  in  momi- 
tain  or  hilly  land  ;  tho  natural  e\'ei-greens  and  shrubbeiy  upon  which  sheep  can  feed  and 
subsist  on  m  winter ;  though  it  is  not  safe  to  rely  altogether  upon  these. '  " 

Mr.  C.  F.  Kramer  of  Woolverly  Farm,  Marion  Co.  Tennessee,  i«  a  com- 
munication  in  the  Nashville  Agriculturist,*  says  : 

"  After  having  spent  part  of  the  years  '43  and  '44  on  different  parts  of  the  Cumberland 
Mountains — the  part  of  Tennessee  more  particularly  recommended  by  all  writers  in  yom- 
journal,  and  others,  for  sheep-walks — I  have,  since  last  fall,  settled  on  a  poitiou  of  them 
near  Jasper,  Marion  Co.  and  will,  as  briefly  as  possible,  give  you  the  result  of  my  experi- 
ence, which  will,  I  believe,  fully  remove  any  eiToneous  impressions  hitherto  made. 

"  First,  as  to  climate  :  The  extreme  salubrity  of  the  mountJiins  makes  them  the  general 
refuge  of  the  sick.  Sheep  here  are  remarkably  healthy,  and  exemiit  from  disease.  The 
temperature  is  very  even,  varying  during  summer  seldom  more  than  from  75^  to  80°  of 
Fahrenheit,  nor  in  winter  more  than  from  45°  to  30°.  Snow  during  the  two  winters,  litde 
as  there  was  of  it,  never  remained  forty-eight  hours  on  tho  ground. 

"  The  forest,  so  i'ar  from  being  dense,  seldom  contivins  more  timber,  after  cutting  out  the 
smaller  growth,  as  dogwood,  &c.  than  is  desirable  for  woodland  pasture. 

"  The  rocks,  as  far  as  my  rambles  have  extended,  are  '  few  and  far  between.'  The  bet 
ter  spots  of  soil  (and  there  are  enough  to  provide  every  farm  with  sufficient  remiinerating 
arable  land,  under  a  provident  and  enlightened  system  of  tillage)  are  covered  with  nutri- 
tious weeds,  as  pea-vine,  &c.  &c.  which  are  nearly  all  greedily  devoured  by  sheep  and  cat- 
tle, and  on  wlii(-h  they  fare  well.  The  poorer  soil  is  covered  with  sedge-grass,  which  my 
sheep  havo  invariably  eaten  with  avidity. 

"  When  our  herds  and  blue  grass  lands,  which  we  are  laying  down,  will  be  fit  for  pastur- 
ing, the  cost  of  wintering  will  be  greatly  reduced,  as  the  foniier  yields  good  grazing  in  Feb- 
ruary— the  latter  duiing  the  whole  winter.  Our  young  cattle  kept  in  good  condition  on  the 
winter-range  and  two  ears  of  com  per  head  per  day. 

"  Although  the  wolves  of  our  mountains  are  larger  than  those  of  the  prairies,  and  may  be 
more  dirticult  to  exterminate  entirely,  yet,  thanks  to  our  good  hunters,  their  ranks  have  been 
already  so  thinned  that  they  mostly  prowl  about  alone,  or  at  most  in  pairs,  commitUng  their 
depredations  by  night,  on  the  sheep  and  hogs  that  are  left  to  sliii't  for  themselves.     In  the 

*  June,  1846. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


49 


two  years  that  I  have  been  here.  I  know  ofbnt  tvvo  instances  of  their  havin?  attacked  youn^ 
•tray  cattle  by  night.  By  day,  sheep  are  perfectly  sjife ;  and  I  should  presume  that  eveiy 
good  sheep-iiuister  would  liave  liLs  flocks,  for  inspection,  home  at  night,  when  any  common 
fence  will  be  an  am[>le  safogiuird  tor  them." 

To  recur,  for  a  moment,  to  Mr.  Buckley's  statements  in  relation  to  the 
Roan  and  some  of  the  contiguous  mountains  in  Noith  Carolina — if  we 
concede  all  his  positions  to  be  correct — it  but  proves  that  they  are  excep- 
tions to  a  general  rule.  But  a  review  of  his  facts,  it  seems  to  me,  scarcely 
justifies  his  conclusions. 

The  vegetation  which  seemed  so  backward  to  him,  coming  from  the 
warmer  climate  of  Alabama  and  Lower  Tennessee,  was  in  fact  but  little, 
if  any,  later  than  that  of  the  elevated  grazing  lands  of  Southern  New- 
York.  The  following  table*  will  show  the  average  forwardness  of  the 
seasons  at  the  location  of  fifty-eicrht  Academies,  scattered  over  New-York, 
for  a  tenn  of  fifteen  years.  And  these  Academies,  as  would  be  supposed, 
are  rarely  found  on  the  high  bleak  hills.  In  fact,  the  number  in  the  south- 
ern graaing  region  is  but  small,  and  they  are  mostly  on  the  low  bottoms  of 
the  larger  streams.  The  same  remark  will  also  apply  to  the  high  region 
between  the  St.  Lawrence  and  Lake  Champlain. 

TABLE  NO.  5. 


Shadbash  in  bloom. 


Peach 

do. 

Currants 

do. 

Plum 

do. 

Cherry 

do. 

Apple 

do. 

Strawberries  ripe 

Hay  harvest  commenced. 
Wheat  do.  do. 

First  killing  Frost 

First  fall  of  Snow 


Meiin  DiUe. 


May      1 

2* 

4 

6 

7 

"      15 

June  12 

July  18 

"     25 

Sept  23 

Nov.    5 


So.  of  Localities. 


48 
57 
58 
52 
52 
59 
58 
34 
45 
57 


.Yo.  of  ObSfTT  alums 


168 
17.5 
269 
264 
250 
374 
210 
127 
186 
471 
536 


'  As  the  Peach  does  not  grow  in  the  northern  part  of  the  Slate,  this  date  must  be  considered  the  tutun 
for  the  southern  and  middle  parts  only,  and  hence  is  too  early  as  compared  with  other  trees. 


The  blossoming  of  the  apple  tree  in  the  grazing  regions  of  New-York 
takes  place  when  the  leaves  of  the  forest  trees  are  considerably  less  than 
half  gro%\Ti,  as  Mr.  B.  found  them  on  the  "  high  mountain  trees  "  of  North 
Carolina  on  the  12th  of  May. 

Snow  storms  sometimes  occur  in  New-York  as  late  as  the  one  recorded 
by  Mr.  B.  on  the  Roan  ;  cold,  damp  fogs  are  not  found  destructive  to 
sheep  in  some  parts  of  England  and  Scotland,  where  they  prevail  proba- 
bly quite  as  much  as  on  these  mountains  ;  and  there  are  manif  parts  of  the 
grazing  region  of  New-York,  and  good  grazing  lands,  too,  where  the  in- 
habitants "  do  not  raise  com  sufficient  for  their  own  consumption."  As 
Mr.  B.  gives  neither  the  dates  nor  the  altitudes  of  his  own  thermometrical 
obser>-ations,  no  conclusions  can  be  deduced  from  them.  Speaking  of  the 
region  about  Asheville,  the  more  definite  statement  is  made  by  him,  that 
during  the  summer  of  1842,  the  theiTnometer  ranged  generally  from  70  to 
85  degrees,  (which  he  pronounces  not  much,  if  any,  warmer  than  WesteiTi 
New- York,)  "while  on  the  mountains  it  was  frequently  about  60  degrees, 
and  sometimes  much  lower."  If  hyfrequevt,  he  meant  ordinary  temper- 
ature, the  summer  climate  of  these  lofty  mountains  much  resembles  that 
of  New-York  in  June — usually  considered  the  month  of  the  plea^antest 

*  TTiia  table  was  prepared  by  Jam<^  H.  Coffin,  a  tutor  in  ^Villiam3  CoUeee.  from  the  Report  of  these 
facts  annually  required  to  be  made  by  the  .Academies  to  the  Regents  of  the  University.  This  and  sume 
other  tables  and  statements  of  Mr.  C.'s,  which  I  shall  hare  occasion  to  quote,  appear  in  a  very  ahif  paper 
from  him  on  the  Climate  and  Temperature  of  New-York,  in  the  forthcoming  volume  on  Agriculture,  in 
the  Natural  History  of  the  State  :  some  sheets  of  which  have  been  politely  sent  me  by  Docu  l^mmoos,  the 
Elate  Geologist,  who  has  that  vulume  in  cbarse. 

G 


60 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


temperature  of  the  year — equally  removed  from  the  chilliness  of  spring, 
and  the  sultry  heats  of  the  last  two  summer  months.  But  as  the  altitudes 
of  the  latter  observations  are  not  given,  they  present  us  nothing  definite  or 
tangible.  A  smart  walk  of  a  few  moments  up  or  down  a  mountain  side, 
would  carry  one  through  a  variation  of  temperature  amounting  to  a  degree. 
By  the  rule  of  Professor  Leslie,*  commonly  adopted,  300  feet  of  elevation 
diminishes  the  temperature  1°  ;  but  the  experiments  of  Humboldt,  Gay- 
Lussac,  and  various  other  observers,  have  shown  that  this  cannot  be  relied 
upon.  One  degree  is  usually  equivalent  to  a  greater  ascent.  Mr.  Coffin 
(in  the  paper  before  alluded  to)  deduces  the  conclusion  that  in  the  State 
of  New-York,  the  ascent  necessary  to  decrease  the  temperature  1°  is  350 
feet.  Taking  the  mean  of  the  range  of  temperature  of  Asheville,  as  stated 
by  Mr.  B.  it  gives  77^°  as  the  average  summer  temperature  of  that  place, 
which,  as  will  appear  in  the  table  below,  is  about  10*^  higher  and  warmer 
than  that  of  New-York  for  the  same  season  and  year,  (excepting  on  the 
beds  of  two  rivers — the  Hudson  and  Mohawk.)  Applying  the  New-York 
rule  to  the  region  of  Asheville,  it  would  require,  then,  an  elevation  of  some- 
thing like  3, .500  feet  on  the  mountain  sides  above  that  place,  to  equalize 
the  temperatui'e  with  that  of  the  greater  portion  of  New- York. 

To  show  the  entire  accuracy  of  the  subjoined  table  of  tempei-at'ures,  I 
would  remark  that  it  is  founded  on  the  Annual  Reports  of  the  Academies 
to  the  Regents  of  the  University.  The  observations  are  therefore  made 
by  correct  insti'uments,t  on  fixed  conditions,  and  by  scientific  men.  I  have 
selected  the  points  indicated  in  reference  solely  to  a  fair  latitudinal  and 
geographical  distribution  over  the  State  ;|  and  to  enable  you  to  find  them 
on  the  map,  the  name  of  the  place,  instead  of  the  Academy,  is  given  : 

TABLE  NO.  6. 


Flatbush.. 
Po'keepsie 

Albany 

Potsdam  .. 
Lowville.. 

Utica 

Syracuse.. 
Pompey  .. 

Homef 

Ithaca 

Prattsburg. 
Rochester. 
Wyoming. 
Fredonia  . 
Lewiston.. 


Lnti- 
tude. 


40^73' 

41  41 

42  39 
44  40 
4:i   47 

43  06 
42  59 
42  56 
42  38 

42  27 

43  08 

42  49 

42  26 

43  09 


Remarks. 


Near  the  extreme  southern  point  of  Long  Island. .. 
On  the  Hudson.     Elevation  not  given 


In  St.  Lawrence  County;  north  part  of  State. 
On  the  Black  River 


130fl 
1096 
417 
1494 
506 
800 
345 
2801 


J  Both  in  same  county,  but  given  on  account  of  dif- 

(      ference  in  elevation 

In  the  southern  or  grazing  region 

Do.  do.  

Do.  do.  

In  the  heart  of  the  Wheat  growing  region 

Do.  do.  

In  the  grazing  region ;  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Erie.. 
On  Niagara  River 


The  five  last  named  places  are  in  "  Weetem  New- York." 

But  there  is  one  fact  stated  by  Mr.  Buckley,  in  relation  to  the  lofty 
mountains  of  North  Carolina,  which,  irrespective  of  all  thermometrical 
observations,  demonstrates  conclusively,  to  my  mind,  their  adaptation  to 
sheep  husbandry.  This  fact  is,  that  white  clover  grows  (of  course,  spon- 
taneously,) on  them.  Or  perhaps  I  should  rather  say,  that  the  mountains 
themselves  become  thermometers,  their  vegetation  registei'ing,  by  a  well 
settled  natural  law,  their  temperate  climate.     Says  Make  Brun  : 

"  Under  the  burning  climate  of  the  torrid  zone,  we  have  only  to  ascend  the  mountains,  to 
enjoy  the  fruits  and  flowers  of  the  temperate  regions.  Tournefort  found  at  the  base  of  Mount 


*  Prof.  L.'s  rule,  however,  was  only  made  applicable  hy  him  to  tropical  regions, 
t  Hiilf,  probably,  of  the  thermometers  in  common  use  aro  inaccurate  I 

t  For  the  records  of  temperatures  given,  sec  Report  of  The  Regents,  1843,  p.  240.    For  latitudes  and  ele- 
vations of  the  Academies,  see  Report  of  1838,  pp.  212  to  215,  and  map. 


SHEEP  HUSBAN^DRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  51 

Ararat  the  common  vegetables  of  Armenia;  half  way  up,  those  of  Italy  and  Fmnce;  and 
upon  the  summit,  those  of  Scandiuuviu.  Forster  saw  several  Alpuie  plauta  upon  the  moun- 
tains of  Terra  del  Fuego." 

Mr.  Mudie  also  remarks  : 

"  If  we  take  each  mountain  as  the  index  of  its  own  meridian,  we  shall  find  that  each  one 
expresses,  by  its  vegetation,  all  the  varieties  of  climule  between  it  and  the  pole."* 

Humboldt,  and  our  own  Doct.  Forry,  notice  an  equally  striking  develop- 
ment of  this  law,  on  the  Western  Continent.t 

Tliis  would  go  to  show  what  I  have  little  doubt  is  the  fact,  (my  impres- 
sions, too,  being  strengthened  by  a  comparison  of  latitude,  elevation,  and 
recorded  thermometrical  observations,)  that  on  the  sides  of  the  Roan  and 
other  lofty  mountains  of  North  Carolina,  and  pretty  well  np  on  their  sides, 
too,  the  climate  is  not  greatly  dissimilar  from  that  on  the  high  grazing 
lands  of  New- York  and  New-England.  On  the  sweetest  and  best  of  the 
latter,  white  clover  always  coines  up  spontaneously,  and  will  immediately 
re-sward  any  field  thrown  out  of  tillage.  It  sometimes  flourishes  on  soils 
of  ordinary  fertility,  but  never  on  Tery  sour  or  boggy  ones,  or  on  those 
the  poachy  character  of  which  would  render  them  liable  to  communicate 
hoof-rot  or  other  diseases.  It  indicates,  most  decidedly,  both  a  soil  and 
climate  fitted  for  sheep. 

You  will  not  understand,  Sir,  of  course,  that  in  the  remarks  made  and 
facts  stated,  at  so  great  length,  in  relation  to  three  or  four  mountains,  my 
object  has  been  simply  to  refute  the  views  of  Mr.  Buckley  in  relation  to 
them.  In  a  region  of  70,000  square  miles,  the  unadaptation  of  half  a 
dozen  mountains,  or  a  much  greater  number,  to  this  or  any  other  branch 
of  husbandry,  would  be  of  but  little  comparative  importance.  Anticipat- 
ing, however,  the  croakings  of  the  timid — the  exaggerated  counter  state- 
ments of  those  rash  and  sanguine  men  who  are  ever  ready  to  rush  into 
whatever  is  nctc,  without  judgment  to  guide  or  perseverance  to  sustain 
them  :  who  abandon  their  undertakings  at  the  first  obstacle,  and  apologize 
for  their  ficklety  by  magnifying  the  difficulties  encountered  by  them  :  I 
deemed  it  expedient  to  lay  before  you  some  useful  data  for  comparisons, 
(and  conclusions,)  which  will  be  equally  applicable  in  the  case  of  all  our 
southern  mountains. 

The  hilly  and  level  regions  iccst  of  the  mountains,  and  lying  between 
them  and  the  Mississippi  and  Ohio  rivers,  scarcely  require  a  separate  no- 
tice— particularly  after  the  statements  of  Mr.  Cockrill,  given  in  my  second 
letter.  As  a  whole,  they  are  undoubtedly  inore  fertile,  and  better  adapted 
to  the  production  of  the  grasses,  than  those  of  coiresponding  latitude,  in 
even  the  hilly  zone,  east  of  the  mountains. 

•  Mudie'a  World. 

t  Since  makina  the  extract  above  from  Malte  Rrun.  I  observe  the  following;  better,  or.  at  least,  more  defi- 
nite  expression  of  the  same  fact  by  Doct.  Forry  :  "  In  ascending  a  lofty  mountain  of  the  torrid  zone  the 
erentest  variety  in  vegetation  is  displayed.  At  its  foot  and  under  the  bmnins  sun,  ananas  and  plantains 
nourish  ;  the  re^rions  of  limes  and  oranses  succeeds  :  then  follow  fields  of  maize  and  luxuriant  wheat  ■  and 
Still  higher,  the  series  of  plants  known  in  the  temperate  zone.  The  mountains  of  temperate  regions  exhi- 
bit, perhaps,  less  variety,  but  the  change  is  equally  striking."     See  Ferry's  ClimaU  of  the  Untied  States. ' 


52  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


LETTER  V. 

PROFITS    OF    SHEEP  HUSBANDRY   IN"  THE    SOUTHERN  STATES.— I.  DIRECT 
PROFIT  ON  CAPITAL  INVESTED. 


Different  points  of  view  in  which  the  question  of  the  profitableness  of  Sheep  Husbandry  in  the  Pouthem 
Slates  is  to  be  regarded.  ..Direct  profit  on  Capital  invested  first  considered.  ..Average  prices  of  Wool  in 
New- York.  ..Average  weight  of  fieeco — Price  of  Sheep — Increase  in  Lambs — Amount  of  Manure.  ..Price 
of  Land...  Number  of  Sheep  supported  per  acre ...  Estimate  of  the  Expenses  and  Profits  of  f  00  Sheep, 
taking  average  prices  of  Wool  for  the  last  fourteen  years.  ..Present  low  prices  of  Sheep— Causes— Ksli- 
mste  of  Profits  of  100  Sheep,  at  present  prices  of  Sheep  and  Wool.  ..Profits  far  below  what  they  might  be 
by  breeding  better  Sheep.  ..Writer's  Flock— Annual  yield  of  Wool — Prices  sold  at  for  six  years — Statistics 
of  Premium  Flock. .  -Show  that  Wool  can  be  produced  at  a  large  profit  in  New-York  at  present  prices. . . 
Healthfulness  and  economy  of  substituting  Mutton  for  a  portion  of  the  Bacon  consu^med  in  tiie  Southern 
States.  .-Economical  advantages  which  Sheep  possess  over  other  animals— No  risk  by  Death — Manure 
more  valuable — Best  clearers  of  Briery  Lands— Improvers  of  Vegetation.  ..The  cost  of  producing  Wool  in 
the  South,  compared  with  the  cost  in  New-Y'ork.  ..Number  of  Sheep  which  can  be  supported  per  acre 
South— Greater  number  than  on  land  of  the  same  quality  North,  by  reason  of  the  winter  growth  of  grains 
and  grasses  in  the  former... Col.  AUston's  statement — R.  L.  Allen's — Col.  Hampton's — Hon.  R.  F.  Simp- 
son's'in  relation  to  the  Atlantic  States  south  of  Virginia.  ..Price  of  Lands  in  those  States.  ..Winter  Vege- 
tation in  Tennessee, Kentucky  and  Virginia.  ..Mr.  Coles's  statement — John  S.  Skinner's.  ..Recapitulation. .. 
Estimate  of  Profits  on  100  Sheep  South— Compared  with  New-York.  ..Profits  on  the  Southern  Mountains 
...Doct.  Brockenboro's  statements — Mr.  Murdock's.  ..Economy  of  Migratory  Sheep  Husbandry.  ..Advan- 
tages for  it  in  the  South  compared  with  those  of  Spain.  ..Drawbacks  on  Profits  of  Sheep  Husbandry — 
Dogs  and  Wolves... Their  depredations  compared  with  those  in  Australia  and  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope... 
Remedy. 

Dear  Sir:  In  ascertaining  tlie  Profits  of  Slieep  Husbandly  in  the 
Southern  States,  several  considerations  present  themselves,  apart  from  the 
mere  question  of  direct  annual  profit  or  loss  on  a  given  investment  in 
Sheep  and  in  land  for  their  subsistence.  The  more  immediate  and  obvious 
profit  is  doubtless  the  first  question  ;  but  in  regarding  the  general  advan- 
tages or  disadvantages  of  this  branch  of  husbandry — particularly  in  a  re- 
gion circumstanced  in  all  particulars  as  the  Southern  States  are — we  are 
farther  to  consider  the  practicability  and  comparative  economy  of  making  it 
the  basis  of  an  effectual  amelioration  in  soils  naturally  sterile,  or  those 
which  have  been  rendered  so  by  excessive  and  injudicious  cultivation ; 
and  its  comparative  efficacy  in  giving  to  Southeru  Agriculture  a  mixed 
and  convertible  character,  and  thereby  sustaining  (or  improving)  all  the 
present  good  tillage  lands,  in  tlie  place  of  continuing  the  "  new  and  old 
field  "  system — (tilling  land  until  it  is  worn  out,  then  abandoning  it  and 
opening  new  lands,) — once  so  general,  and  even  now  by  far  too  prevalent. 
And  there  is  another  point  of  no  mean  importance  :  whether,  independent 
of  preceding  considerations,  and  even  if  the  staples  furnished  by  sheep 
husbandry  proved  no  more  profitable,  in  direct  returns  on  capital  invested, 
than  some  of  the  present  staples,  it  would  not  be  better  economy,  on  the 
whole,  for  the  South  to  produce  the  raw  material  and  manufacture  domes- 
tic woolens,  particularly  for  the  apparel  and  bedding  of  slaves,  than  to  be 
dependent  for  them  on  England  or  Massachusetts. 

To  ascertain  the  direct  and  immediate  profit  on  investment  in  sheep  hus- 
bandry, let  us  appeal  to  well  settled  facts  and  statistics,  instead  of  content- 
ing ourselves  with  vague  and  general  propositions.  For  the  following 
Table  of  the  average  prices  of  good  wool*  in  the  State  of  New- York,  which 
was  published  in  my  replies  to  Mr.  Walker's   *'  Treasury  Circular "  in 

•  Such  wools  as  are  used  for  the  manufactnre  of  broad  and  other  cloths  of  good  quality — ranging,  say, 
from  ilth  blood  Merino  to  pure  Saxon — excluding  native,  grade  (below  ^th  Merino),  and  all  English  woold. 


SHEEP   HUSBANDRY  IN  IHE   SOUTH.  53 


1845,*  I  was  indebted  to  a  most  respectable  and  extensive  puicliaser  of 
wool,  and  its  accuracy  is  beyond  question. 


TARLE  No.  7. 

itar. 

Areraiie  yricr  pir  jMiund. 

1  car. 

Average  price  pir  pound. 

1h:i'J 

40  coiiU. 

183i» 

1840 

."JO  ceiils. 

33     do 

1833 

50     do. 

1834 

1835 

4.'i    do. 

48     do. 

1841 

35    do 

1842   . 

30     do 

1836 

.54    do. 

1843 

'31     do 

1837 

.30    do. 

1844 

40    do 

1838 

3fi     fin 

184r) 

32    do. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  for  a  period  of  fourteen  years  preceding  1845, 
the  aveiage  price  of  good  wools  was  39y  cents  per  pound.! 

The  average  weight  of  fleece  in  sheep  yielding  this  wool  has  been  about 
3  lbs. ;  the  pure-blood  Saxons  less  ;  but  those  bearing  the  coarsest  wool 
inchided,  in  the  average,  more. 

The  average  price  of  sheep  of  the  quality  under  consideration,  has  been 
not  less  than  S2  per  head  in  the  fall,  and  lambs  half  that  price.f  The  an- 
nual increase  in  lambs  would  be  about  80  per  cent.,  or  if  less  by  reason  of 
the  number  of  wethers  in  the  flock,  the  groicth  of  the  latter  would  give  a 
corresponding  frlterease  in  profit.  One  hundred  sheep,  properly  littered, 
will  make  at  least  forty  loads  of  manure  during  the  ope  Imndred  and  fifty 
days  during  which  they  are  confined  to  dry  feed,  in  our  Northern 
winters. 

The  grazing  lands  of  New- York,  cut  up  as  they  are  into  small  farms,|| 
and  each  being  provided  with  dwelling  and  farm  buildings,  are  worth 
from  $15  to  830  per  acre.     Prime  sheep  lands  will  average  about  S20.§ 

In  relation  to  the  amount  of  land  necessary  to  support  a  given  number 
of  sheep,  the  experience  of  a  good  many  years  has  satisfied  me  that  the 
rule  commonly  laid  down  on  the  grazing  lands  of  New-York  and  New- 
England,  that,  on  the  average,  one  acre  of  land  will  give  subsistence  to 
three  fine-wooled  sheep  throughout  the  year,  is  an  accurate  one.1]  On 
grain  farms,  it  is  considered  good  economy  to  keep  one  sheep  for  every 
acre  of  cleared  land  which  the  farm  contains  ;  on  those  where  mixed 
hu.sbandry  is  practiced,  two  ;  and,  on  those  exclusively  devoted  to  sheep, 
three. 

In  the  following,  and  all  similar  estimates,  I  shall  reckon  the  profits  on 
the  lanrJ  and  expenditures,  instead  of  the  land  and  the  commonly  quoted 
prices  of  grass,  hay,  &c.,  consumed.     These  prices,   in   the   interior,  are 

*  !*ep  Report  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury.  1845,  p.  461.  I  thousht,  and  so  stated  to  Mr.  Walker,  that 
the  Table  placed  wools  about  U  cents  per  pound  too,hi(;h.  But  eubsequcnl  iiitbrmntion  has  convinced  me 
that  I  was  in  error.  In  tny  statement  of  the  arxrage  profits  of  sheep  hus-bandry,  in  those  replies,  I  estima- 
ted the  averace  price  of  wool  by  the  prices  pa'id  l)y  a  local  and  much  smaller  purchaser,  and  for  a  com- 
paratively limited  teiTO  of  years.  I  was  not  then  aware  of  the  utter  defectiveness  of  the  U.  S  Census  re- 
turns ([Kjintcii  out  in  Letter  II.)  in  relation  to  the  annual  product  of  wool,  and  therefore  was  misled  in  the 
average  weicht  of  fleeces  ;  and,  speaking  from  impression  rather  than  experiment,  I  placed  the  value  of 
the  manure  altosether  too  low.  Those  questions  and  replies  have  led  me  into  exi)erimenis  and  inquiries, 
which  have  rt?8ulted  in  more  accurate  information.  I  allude  to  this  subjtxt,  because  I  think  it  evc!-y  man's 
duty  to  correct  any  errors  or  explain  any  discrepancies  subsequently  discovered  hy  him,  in  his  statements 
which  have  been  thrown  l>efore  the  public,  and  thus  arc  jilaced  in  a  position  to  mislead. 

t  Durinc  1846  it  was  from  .30  to  32aents  per  poimd,  hut  as  this  estimate  is  not  based  on  extensive  pur- 
chases, like  the  preceiline.  I  have  not^acen  It  in  the  table. 

%  Including  ^ro/ie  sheep,  which  form  the  croatest  proportion  of  the  whole  number.  There  have  been 
very  few  pure-blood  Merinos  in  the  State,  and  many  of  the  i^uxon  flocks  have  been  so  miserably  deterio- 
rated in  carcass  and  weiubt  of  tleece,  that  they  have  sold  for  low  prices.  But  good  Saxons  sold  much 
above  this  until  within  three  or  four  years  :  since  then,  the  Mer'nos  have  been  rapidly  driving  out  the 
Saxons,  and  those  of  jjood  quality  and  undoubted  pediL'ree  have  sold  for  fiom  live  to  twenty-tive  times  as 
much.     The  higher  the  price,  the  3irater  the  profits,  by  reason  of  the  value  of  the  increase. 

II  It  would  be  my  impression  that  the  farms  in  liie  grazing  regions  do  not,  on  the  average,  exceed  130 
Acres  each. 

S  Id  est,  in  the  grazing  reeion. 

\  I  say  "  tine-woolcd  sheep,"  because  the  larger  and  coarser  Downs,  Lciccsters,  Cotswolds,  ic.  consume 
much  more,  as  will  hereafter  be  shown. 


54 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


merely  nominal,  as  they  cannot  be  obtained  for  beyond  a  small  portion  of 
the  annual  crop.  They  do  not,  therefore,  forai  a  proper  basis  for  coiTect 
general  estimates. 

The  expenses  and  losses  in  keeping  sheep,  not  already  alluded  to,  are 
all  set  down  below,  as  high  as  they  will  average  on  well  managed  farms. 


Dr. S_c^ 

100  Sheep  to  interest  on  puichase  money 14  00 

To  int.  on  33^  acres  of  land  at$'J0  per  acre 4fi  66 

"  curin!,' and  storing  hay  onllacresol" above. 13  75 

"  expense  of  shearing 4  00 

"  Bait,  tar  and  summer  care 4  00 

"  labor  of  foddering,  &c.,  during  winter,  say.  5  00 
"  loss  by  death  2  per  cent,  above  the  value  of 

pulled  wool 4J)0 

Total $91  41 


Cr. 


By  300  lbs.  of  Wool,  at  39  4-7  cts  per  Ib.llr!  71  3-7 

•'  80  lambs  at  81  per  head 80  00 

"  40  Shorse  loads  of  winter  manure  at 

50  cents  per  load 20  00 

"  summer  manure,  calling  it  only  equal 

to  shearing  and  summer  care* 8  00 


Total $-226  7 1  3-7 


Balance $135  30  3-7 


Making  the  net  profit  of  $i  05,  or  20^  per  cent,  per  acre  on  lands 
worth  S20. 

Since  the  passage  of  the  Tariff  of  1846,  there  has  evidently  been  a  panic 
amono-  the  wool-growers  of  New- York,  and  the  rise  in  bread-stuffs,  beef, 
pork,  and  dairy  products,  occasioned  by  the  change  in  the  British  Tariff, 
and  the  famine  which  has  prevailed  in  Europe  by  reason  of  the  short  crops 
of  1846,  has  tended  farther  to  depreciate  sheep,  by  oftering  inducements 
supposed  to  be  very  strong,  to  embark  in  branches  of  husbandry  furnish- 
ino-  the  former  staples.t  Sheep  are  consequently  cheaper  than  they  ever 
were  before.  Prime  grade  sheep,  bearing  wool  of  as  good  quality  as  the 
averao-e  of  that  embraced  in  Table  7,  have  in  some  instances  sold  for  ten 
shillings  per  head,  and  coarse  common  sheep  for  one  dollar — lambs  half  a 
dollar — making,  in  the  ordinary  proportion  between  lambs  and  grown 
sheep,  about  75  cents  per  head,  taking  a  flock  through  ! 

Wool  of  the  quality  embraced  in  Table  7  has  fallen  to  an  average  of  say 
31  cents.  Under  the  impression  that  sheep  andnvool  have  reached  their 
minimum  prices,  |  it  becomes  an  interesting  subject  of  inquiry  whether 
they  can  yet  be  produced,  at  a  profit,  in  New-York.  The  following  figures, 
I  think,  will  fairly  show  : 


Dr. 


$   cts. 


100  Sheep,  to  interest  on  purchase  money,  at 

$1  25  per  head 8  75 

To  int.  on  33J  acres  of  land  at  $20  per  acre.. 46  66 
"  cutting,  curing  and  storing  hay  on  11  acres 

of  above 13  75 

"   expense  of  shearing 4  00 

"  tar,  salt  and  summer  care 4  00 

"  labor  of  foddering,  &.C.  during  winter.  say.'S  00 
"  loss  by  death  2  per  ct.  above  the  value  of 

pulled  wool -  -  ■•  2  50 

Total $84  66 


Cr. 


By  30O  lbs  of  Wool,  at  31  cents  per  pound... 93  00 

"  80  lambs,  at  6'JV  cents  per  head 50  00 

"  40  2-horse  loads  of  winter  manure,  at  .50 

cents  per  load 20  00 

"  summer  manure,  calling  it  only  equal  to 

shearing  and  summer  care 8  00 

Total $171  00 


Balance '  86  34 


Making  .S2  59,ornearly  13  per  cent.  «e<  profit  per  acre  on  lands  worth  $20. 

In  the  preceding  estimates  I  have  only  regarded  the  profit  of  sheep  hus- 
bandry, as  it  has  averaged  for  a  series  of  years,  among  those  possessing 
good  ordinary  flocks. 

*  I  place  the  summer  manure,  undoubtedly,  considerably  below  fig  actual  value.  No  experienced  farmer 
will  say  that  good  solid  sh'-ep  manure  is  worth  less  than  50  cents  per  load,  and  as  the  summer  manure  :e 
at  least  equal  in  quantity,  and  is  deposited  immediately  on  the  land,  I  sec  no  reason  why  it  is  not  equally 
valuable. 

t  That  the  diminution  of  English  duties  on  these  staples  will  give  them  a  better  and  steadier  market,  there 
can  be  little  doubt ;  but  not  the  vcrtj  high  one  of  the  past  season,  occasioned  by  the  severe  famine  which 
has  prevailed  in  many  parts  of  Great  Britain.  Many,  therefore,  who  have  sacriticed  their  sheep,  reckoning 
on  such  prices,  will  probably  find  that  they  have  "reckoned  without  their  host." 

\  I  say  this  under  the  decided  impression  that  our  wools,  at  this  price,  if  prnperhj  washed  and  put  up, 
■would  triumpliantly  compete  in  the  foreign  markets  with  those  fif  the  wool-crowing  nations  of  Europe ; 
and  ev("n  with  thoso  of  Australia,  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  other  Austro-oriental  regions.  For  a  more 
lull  cxaminulion  of  this  point,  see  Appendix  D. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  55 

It  falls  far  short  of  that  ivali/.ed  by  breeders  and  flock-mastei-s,  who 
started  their  flocks  with  the  best  jnirc-blood  sheep  then  to  be  found  in  tlie 
country  ;  and  wlio  have  subse(|uenfly  continued  to  improve  them  by  great 
care  in  breediner,  and  by  a  rigorous  course  of  selection. 

I  have  bred  Merino  sheep  lor  a  number  of  years,  and  latterly  in  consid- 
erable numbei-s  ;  and  in  no  case  have  my  erown  sheep  averaged  less  than 
5  lbs.  of  well  washed  wool  per  annum.  The  quality  of  the  wool  may  be 
infened  from  a  comparison  of  the  piices  at  which  it  has  sold,  with  those  in 
Table  7.  In  1846,  1  sold  for  35  cents  per  pound  ;  bj  1845,  for  331  cents  ; 
in  1S44,  for  48  cents  ;  in  1S43,  for  33^  cents  ;  in  1S42,  for  35  cents,  and 
so  on.  ^ 

To  give  more  precise  data,  I  select  the  following  statement  of  the  pro- 
ducts of  a  Hock,  on  which  I  drew  the  first  premium  offered  by  the  New- 
York  State  Agncultural  Society  for  "  the  best  managed  flock  of  sheep," 
in  1844  : 

[From  the  Transactions  of  the  N.  Y.  Sinte  Agricultural  Society,  1844,  p.  254.] 

"  III  the  winter  of  1S43— 4,  I  \vinterc<l  in  a  separate  flock  fifty-one  ewes  over  one  year 
old,  two  ewe  lambs,  two  rams,  one  of  thoni  one  and  one  of  them  two  yeai^s  old.  Of  tlie  ewes 
over  one  year  old.  twenty-eiglit  were  full-blood  Merinos ;  twenty-three  were  hall-blood  Me- 
rinos and  h  ilf-blootl  South-Downs ;  the  two  ewe  lamljs  were  three-fourth-blood  Merino  and 
one-fourth-blood  South-Down  :  and  the  two  nnns  were  full-blood  Merinos.  The  flock  were 
kept  a-s  follows  tlirough  the  winter :  They  were  fed  hav  morning  and  nii'ht,  and  were,  as  a 
general  nde,  required  to  eat  it  uj)  clean.  At  noon  the  flock  were  daily  fed  three  bundles  of 
oats  and  barley  (which  had  growni  mixed,  say  three  parts  oats  and  one  part  barley.)  until 
the  25th  of  December — after  which  they  received  four  bundles  of  oats.  The  grain  was 
light  and  shrunken.  They  received  no  hay  at  noon  during  the  winter,  and  usu;dly  consumed 
all  the  sn-aw  of  the  grain  fed  them.  They  had  a  good  shelter,  and  access  to  pure  water  at 
all  times.  From  this  flock  I  raised  fifty-three  lambs.  The  full-blood  Merinos,  including 
two  rams,  and  the  two  three-fourth-blood  lambs,  (in  all  thirt>--two.)  sheared  one  hundred 
and  eighty -six  pounds  and  four  ounces  of  washed  wool,  which  I  sold  at  liat^-eight  cents  per 
pomul.  Four  of  the  full-bloods  had  two  years'  fleeces  on.  The  half-blood  Merinos  and 
half-blood  Soiuh-Downs  (twent>--three)  sheared  eiglity  and  one-half  pounds  of  washed  wool, 
soveuty-one  pounds  of  which  I  sold  at  thirty^ight  cents  per  pound.  During  the  summer  of 
1844,  the  flock  were  kept  In  good  ordmary  pasture,  and  salted  ouce  a  week." 

Thus,  the  Meiino  fleeces  averaged  5  lbs.  13i  oz.  and  sold  for  S2  79-|  each ; 
and  the  grades  between  INIerino  and  South-Down  averaged  3  lbs.  8  oz.  to 
the  fleece,  an4  sold  for  SI  33  each. 

It  will  be  observed  that  four  of  the  full-bloods  (they  were  ewes)  had 
two  years'  fleeces  on.  A  two  years'  fleece  will  not  weigh  as  much  as  two 
single  years'  fleeces  from  the  same  sheep.  On  the  averacre,  it  will  weigh 
about  three-quaitei-s  as  much.*  On  the  other  hand,  the  lot  included  two 
three-quarter-blood  lamb  fleeces,  which  would  fall  below  the  average 
weifjht  of  the  others,  and  a  portion  of  the*  "flock  wei'e  yearlings  and  two- 
year  olds.  The  Merino  never  attains  its  maximum  weight  of  fleece  before 
three  yeai-s  old,  and  ordinarily  not  until  four,  and  therefore  the  aggregate 
weight  of  wool  of  the  32  sheep,  given  above,  does  not,  to  say  the  least  of 
it,  give  too  favoi-able  a  view  of  the  product  of  sheep  of  this  quality.  This 
is  proved  by  the  fact  that  my  entire  flock  of  full-bloods  sheared  about 
three-twentieths  of  an  ounce  over  six  pounds  each,  the  succeeding  yeai\ 

It  would  give  me  great  pleasure  to  subjoin  similar  statistics  of  other 
carefully  bred  flocks,  were  authorized  statements  of  them  in  my  posses- 
sion, or  published  within  my  knowledge. 

It  is  sufficiently  apparent  from  the  above  facts  and  estimates,  that  wool 
has  not  vet  reached  the  lowest  point  at  which  it  can  be  produced  at  an 
ample  profit,  on  lands  of  the  value  indicated,  if  the  sheep  are  of  the  f  roper 

*  That  i»  to  guy,  if  the  sinde  years'  flpeces  would  equftl  fi  lbs.  ench.  atwoyeors'  fleece,  insiend  of  rrrirfi- 
Ing  twice  iu>  mucii,  or  lO  Ihs..  will  not  extceti  ihree-qiiarter3  iK  such  na^rcgaie  weight,  or  tf  lbs.  The  woot 
wastes  when  it  becomes  so  long,  aiid  perhupi  does  cut  grow  so  rapidly. 


56  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

quality  ;  and  these  facts  farther  suggest  the  expediency  of  relying  on  our 
own  efforts  to  "  protect "  this  interest,  rather  than  the  fickle  support  of 
National  legislation. 

For  the  production  of  a  cheap,  wholesome,  and  highly  nutritious  food, 
no  animal  excels  the  sheep.  Theoretical  considerations,  as  well  as  exper- 
iment, show  the  superiority  of  mutton  to  pork  in  the  formation  of  vigor- 
ous muscle  ;*  and  its  tendency  is  less,  particularly  in  hot  climates,  to  en- 
gender inflammatory  and  putrid  diseases.  The  consumption  of  consider- 
able quantities  of  fat  is  indispensable,  in  cold  climates,  to  supply  the 
necessary  amount  of  carbon  to  support  "  combustion,"  as  Liebig  terms  it, 
in  the  lungs,  or,  in  other  words,  to  maintain  the  animal  heat.  Hence  the 
Laplander  and  the  Esquimaux  find  a  grateful  diet  in  train-oil,  or  the  adi- 
pose parts  of  Arctic  fish  and  mammalia.  That  fat  pork  should  be  the 
favorite  meat,  in  the  Northern  States,  is  not  perhaps  so  singular,  but  that 
it  (under  the  name  of  bacon)  should  constitute  the  principal  one  consumed 
in  our  warm  Southern  latitudes,  and  especially  that  it  should  constitute  so 
large  a  proportion  of  all  the  food  consumed,t  is  indeed  a  most  anomalous 
fact,  and  is  utterly  unparalleled  among  the  practices  of  other  nations  occu- 
pying the  same  latitudes.  The  tendency  of  this  practice  to  produce  dis- 
ease, physical  inertia,  indisposition  and  incapacity  to  sustain  continued 
activity,  will  not,  I  think,  be  questioned  by  the  pathologist  or  the  close 
observer. 

Mutton  and  lamb  are  a  favorite,  if  not  the  favorite  food  of  the  English 
of  all  classes.  Notwithstanding  all  that  has  been  said  and  written  of  the 
"roast  beef"  of"  Old  England,"  mutton  is  more  eaten  there  by  people  of 
every  rank.|  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  evidently  not  a  favorite  meat  in  the 
United  States,  though  its  propoi'tionable  consumption  is  evidently  increas- 
ing. Whence  the  difference  ]  Circumstances  have  led  to  habit,  and  habit, 
in  a  great  measui-e,  regulates  appetite.  It  needs  no  .other  proof  than  is 
to  be  found  in  the  experience  of  every  individual,  to  show  that  the  appe 
tite  is  readily  trained  to  relish  what  was  even  positively  disgusting,  and  to 
become  indifferent  to  what  was  once  the  most  grateful. 

That  the  preceding  facts  are  well  worthy  of  attention  among  those  who 
are  favorable  to  the  inti-oduction  of  sheep  husbandry,  among; planters  who 
supply  not  less  than  3  lbs.  per  week  of  good  bacon,  or  a  full  equivalent,  to 
each  slave,  on  plantations  where  the  number  ranges  from  ten  to  one  hun- 
dred, and  sometimes  many  more,  there  can  be  little  doubt.  Twenty-five 
slaves  would  thus  consume  3,900  lbs.  of  bacon  per  annum  ;  and  the  more 
common  allowance  of  the  opulent  planter  is  ai)out  200  lbs.  per  head,  or 
5,000  lbs.  for  twenty-five.     If  an  equivalent  for  at  least  half  of  this  was 


*  The  theoretical  considerations  will  be  found  stifficiently  discussed  in  Liehis's  "  Animal  Chemistry."  For 
experimental  evidence,  I  know  of  none  that  can  be  more  depended  on  — which  approaches  any  nearer 
acHml  demonstratioa — than  that  wliich  is  furnir^hed  by  the  Kn!;lish  prize-tishters.  To  attain  the  proper  con- 
dition to  sustain  the  protracted  and  tremendous  exertions  of  their  brutal  trade,  their  flesh  must  airain  the 
hardness  and  touffhncss  of  whipcord,  and  they  must,  at  the  same  time,  maintain  that  physical  elasticity 
(technically,  "  corkiness.")  which  adds  asjility  to  iron  .strensth.  These  men,  while  trainini?.  are  suffered  to 
eat  little  or  no  adipose  matter,  and  not  even  the  Uan  of  porh.  Their  animal  food  is  exclusively  beef  or 
mutton,  or  both.  .Some  trainers  prefer  the  former,  some  the  latter.  I  have  seen  this  matter  very  fully  al- 
luded to,  but  do  not  now  remember  any  more  explicit  authority  than  that  contained  in  the  following  note 
to  Carpenter's  Principles  of  Human  Physiology,  (p.  357.) 

•'  Tlie  method  of  training  employed  by  Jackson,  (a  celebrated  trainer  of  prize-fisrhters  in  modern  time.o.) 
as  deduced  from  his  answers  to  questions  jnit  to  him  by  John  Bell,  was  to  bepin  on  a  clear  foundation  by 
an  emetic  and  two  or  three  purges.  Beef  and  mutton,  the  lean  of  fat  meat  being  prefin-red,  constituted  tlie 
principal  food;  veal,  lamb  and  pork  were  said  to  be  less  dijiesiible  ('the  last  purties  some  meii'\  Fish 
was  said  to  be  a  'watery  kind  of  diet ;'  and  is  employed  by  jockeys  who  wish  to  reduce  weight  by  sweat- 
in  c." 

f  I  mean  this  portion  of  the  remark  to  apply  more  particularly  to  the  non-laboring  classes.  The  propor- 
tion consumed  by  the  slave,  though  ample,  is  not  excessive,  when  his  laboring  habits  are  taken  into  con- 
sideration 

%  I  state  this  on  the  authority  of  various  individuals  vi'ho  have  been  much  in  England,  and  who  have 
been  placed  in  positions  to  form  a  jiretty  accurate  opinion.  Mr.  (!olman  speak?  of  the  ''extraordinary" 
consumption  of  mutton  in  England,  without,  however,  giving  any  comparative  data. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  57 

made  in  mutton,  it  would  be  far  cheaper,  and,  if  I  have  not  erred  in  previ- 
ous statements,  better  for  the  slave. 

There  are  two  or  tlirec  other  hijrhly  favorable  considerations  to  be  taken 
into  account  aniomj;  the  diri-ct  profits  of  rearing  sheep. 

The  nsk  by  death,  by  ordinary  causes,  ii*  nothinjr.  Two  per  cent,  is  al- 
lowed in  the  precedintr  estimates,  as  the  full  jiroduct  of  wool  and  increase 
is  carried  out.  ]^ut,  in  reality,  the  sheep  never  dies  "  insolvent."  If  the 
colt  or  the  bullock  dies  on  our  hands,  atier  two  or  three  years  of  trouble 
and  expense  with  it,  the  loss  is  nearly  a  total  one.  If  the  fine-wooled 
sheep  dies  at  any  atje,  the  wool  then  on  it,  or  what  it  has  already  produced, 
more  than  covers  all  the  cost  which  it  has  ever  made  us.* 

Not  only  is  the  winter  manure  of  the  sheep  superior  to  that  of  any  other 
domestic  animal,  the  hog  and  fowl  excepted,  but  it  practically  becomes 
Btill  more  so  in  proportictn,  in  summer,  when  scattered  over  the  pastures, 
by  reason  of  the  couditif)ns  in  which  it  is  de})Osited.  The  soft  porous  ex- 
crements of  the  cowt  or  horse,  exposed  to  the  exsiccating  action  of  sun  and 
wind,  evolve  most  of  their  feitili/.iiig  properties  into  the  atmosphere,  and 
this  effect  would  increase  in  proportion  to  the  warmth  of  the  climate.  The 
excrements  of  the  sheeji,  on  the  other  hand,  are  deposited  in  small,  hard, 
rounded  pellets,  which  fall  down  between  the  leaves  of  the  grass,  and  are 
thus  in  a  great  measure  protected  from  the  sun  and  wind,  until  they  are 
trodden  into  and  incorporated  with  the  soil.J  Then,  again,  they  need  no 
spreading,]!  like  the  dung  of  the  horse  and  cow.  And  finally,  instinct,  in 
leading  the  sheep  almost  invariably  to  seek  the  summits  of  the  elevations, 
in  warm  weather,  for  its  nicrht  quarters,  leads  it  to  de])osit  much  more  ma- 
nure in  proportion,  wheie  it  is  most  needed,  on  the  drier  and  more  banen 
hill-tops;  and  where,. being  more  remote  from  water-courses,  less  of  its 
juices  are  liable  to  be  washed  away  by  rains,  into  the  streams,  or  on  to  the 
lands  of  others. 

Sheep  are  also  far  more  eflficient  than  any  other  animal  (if  we  except 
the  wf>rthless  goat)  in  clearing  up  new  lands,  or  neglected  old  ones,  of 
those  briers  and  shnibs  which  it  is  often  difhcult  to  eradicate  without  plow- 
ing; and  they  often  abound  on  lands  which  cannot  be  plow-ed  with  profit. 
And,  when  plowed,  the  shrubs  in  the  fence  corners  must  be  left  (to  the 
utter  shame  of  all  good  husbandry),  or  the  fence  must  be  removed — some- 
times at  a  gieat  inconvenience.  The  sheep  delights  to  browse  on  the  buds, 
and  to  strip  the  bark  of  most  shrubs,§  and  they  thus  soon  destroy  them.  It 
would  be  good  economy  for  the  farmer  to  keep  his  neighbors'  sheep,  with- 
out charo-e,  on  all  very  l)riery  or  coppiced  unarable  lands,  if  he  could  not 
so  stock  them  liimself. 

Finally,  it  is  generally  believed  by  experienced  flock-masters — and  ob- 
servation has  led  me  to  fully  coincide  in  the  opinion — that  sheep  not  onlv 
improve  the  lands  they  de)>asture  more  than  any  other  animal,  but  that 
they  exert  an  almost  specific  influence  in  improving  f//e  character  of  th*- 
vegetation.     All  wild,  poor  gi-asses  gradually  disappear  from  their  pastures 

♦  I  siipak.  of  roii'-«c,  ofihc  ropt  of  rnnrins  sn'l  frnlins. 

f  (Inzzi-i-i  founil  th>.i  UMi  (mi-tJ  of  recf-nt  cow-diins  inntnin  Vi  prr  cont.  nfAry.  polifl  mnttrr,  nnd  thnt  ."i  ppi 
cent,  of  this  i«  lost  in  A<^  <?iiy-  I'V  fxpopurc  to  the  nil-.  I  do  not  think  this  ini!lc;iteH  ibo  full  low  which  wuuld 
be  eu'^fnined  in  h  m>iiiIi>'I11  Iniitiiilr. 

J  Th»?*R  rnmiilffi  imIIoi-'  pi-c  eovt-rnil,  too,  in  the  nnimnl  in  gr)od  coDiliiioo,  with  «  costing  of  mucus,  which 
ferthor  i>i-oterts  thini  from  ('vfi|iirrMti(in. 

II  Their  iinnp,  nlso.  in  voiilrd  in  quantitiofi  which  render  it  hishly  bcneficiiil ;  while  that  of  the  horfe  nnd 
cow  is  voided  in  eiich  lart'e  qiianiiiies  in  one  place  thnt  it  is  not  only  in  ii  great  measure  wucted,  but  in  n 
dr>-  time  (so  that  it  ia  not  diluted  by  the  moisture  in  the  soil),  its  rich  suits,  so  far  from  bcnelitiog,  actually 
kill  the  verdure. 

5  This  is  pirticiilnrly  true  of  the  blarVbcrry  or  bramble  (Piihrug  rillonu),  and  the  racpberry  (fltthvg 
idnrtit),  iften  creat  |>e«t«  on  new  or  neplecled  lands  lit  the  North.  Sheep  ran  even  be  mmle  to  aiinck  the 
elder  ( Samhurun  ainadi  vi>h  rnr.  ptihtsctnt).  and  varinus  other  troublesome  intruders,  by  lumiiie  ibeui  upon 
Ibem  in  thawing  "  spulU,"  in  the  winter,  after  they  have  been  for  sume  time  confined  to  drj'  feed. 


68  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

and  are  succeeded  by  the  best  ones ;  and  the  sward  becomes  remarkably 
dense  and  even.  This  is  probably  due  to  the  richness  and  better  distribu- 
tion of  their  dung  and  urine. 

If  upward  of  twenty  per  cent,  profits,  over  and  above  all  expenditui-es, 
have  been  and  still  can  be  made,  on  lands  worth  $i20  per  acre,  by  wool- 
growing — on  lands,  too,  where  the  reign  of  an  ii'on  winter  confines  sheep 
to  dry  feed  at  least  five  months  of  the  year — how  are  we  to  estimate  those 
profits  on  lands  costing  but  a  small  part  of  this  sum,  which,  though  inferior 
to  the  former,  will,  by  reason  of  the  shortness  and  mildness  of  the  winter 
support  about  an  equal  number  of  sheep  pdr  acre,  and  also  save  the  ex- 
pense of  preparing  dry  feed,  of  foddering,  and  a  large  propoition  of  that 
laid  out  in  barns,  shelters,  &c.  ? 

It  will  be  seen  that,  by  assuming  the  data  of  the  last  of  the  two  preced 
ing  estimates  (with  the  exception  of  the  loss  by  death),  the  gross  cost  ol 
producing  300  lbs.  of  wool,  on  the  grazing  lands  of  New-York,  is  $82  16, 
or  27|^|  cts.  per  pound.  This  is  undoubtedly  as  low  as  it  can  be  produced 
where  the  fleeces  do  not  exceed  the  average  weight  of  3  lbs.  Let  us  now 
proceed  to  inquire  what  would  be  the  gross  expense  per  pound  in  the 
Southern  States. 

You  inform  me  that  "  one  or  two — not  more — "  sheep  find  subsistence 
during  the  summer  on  the  natural  pastures  of  the  tide-u-ater  zone  in  South 
Carolina.*  The  broad-tailed,  and  other  large  breeds,  now  mainly  fed 
there,  consume  nearly  double  the  amount  of  feed  required  by  the  fine- 
wooled  sheep.  But,  to  make  our  estimate  perfectly  a  safe  one,  we  will 
assume  that  two  fine-wooled  sheep  only  will  consume  the  summer  hei'bage 
of  an  acre.  Fields  of  rye  sown  in  September  or  October,  you  farther  in- 
form me,  will  support  "  two  sheep  and  their  lambs"  per  acre,  "  from  the 
20lh  of  December  to  the  10th  of  March."  Numerically,  then,  here  you 
have  the  same  stocking  that  is  borne  by  the  lands  of  New-York,  viz.  three 
sheep  per  acre.  And,  making  the  allowance  already  alluded  to  for  the 
different  consumption  of  breeds,  an  acre  would  sustain  three  full-growo 
Merino  sheep.  As  the  rye  subsequently  yields  its  crop,  the  wool  is  not 
chargeable  with  the  expense  of  its  tillage. 

Rye  will  continue  to  grow  in  the  winter  on  all  lands  not  too  sterile,  oi 
too  elevated,  south  of  latitude  36°,  and,  in  favorable  situations,  at  least 
two  degrees  farther  north.  Grass,  and  some  other  hardy  esculents,  also 
maintain  a  winter  vegetation  in  many  portions  of  the  whole  of  this  re- 
gion .t 

R.  L.  Allen,  Esq.,  after  a  recent  visit  to  the  plantation  of  Col.  Wade 
Hampton,  near  Columbia,  S.  C,  thus  speaks  of  the  winter  verdure  in  that 
region : 

"  Though  everything  like  grass  or  weeds  is  rigidly  excluded  in  the  early  stages  of  the 
erops,  yet,  as  these  approach  maturity,  the  thick  netting  of  crab  and  various  other  grasses 
and  plants,  which  are  ever  struggling  tor  existence  in  this  wann  clime,  are  allowed  to  come 
forward  and  mature;  and  their  growth  furnishes  forage  for  cattle  and  sheep  during  the  win- 
ter, and  an  important  addition  to  the  vegetable  manures  for  turning  under  and  adding  to  the 
fertility  of  the  soil.  .  .  .  The  sheep,  together  with  the  cattle,  mules  and  horses,  which 
are  not  at  work,  are  turned  into  the  natui-al  pastures  in  summer,  antl,  in  addition  to  th"se, 
they  have  the  run  of  the  corn-fields  in  winter,  and  without  seeing  any  other  shelter  agiiust 
the  severest  storms  than  a  thicket  or  hill-side,  they  thrive  and  fatten  throughout  the  yea*-.^ 
This  condition  is  secured  by  the  mildness  of  the  climate,  and  the  consequent  growth  of  vege 
tatiou  during  the  entii'e  winter." 

*  I  These  statPments,  snrt  all  others  credited  to  Col.  Allston,  are,  when  not  otherwise  specified,  contained 
•1  letters  from  that  gentlcmau  to  thp  writer  ] 

t  Among  thete,  "  a  i>lant  called  'Wild  Rye.'  affording  ertrollent  herliHie  durinffthe  wintermontbs.  springs 
up  spontiini'ously  on  the  ncK-tield  banks,  and  between  the  cotton  beds,  on  some  plantations  on  the  River 
Congaree,  S.  C." 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  59 

John  S.  Skinner,  Esq.  thus  writes  me  :* 

"  Col.  Hamptdii's  flock  ihiihIkm-s  "00,  I  Itdicve.  lit*  kills  the  finest  sort  of  nuittnn  tlirDii''h 
out  tlie  winter  iiiid  spring' — very  lilt  aiul  excellent  in  all  resi)ect8.  IIt>  told  nie  last  suininer 
at  Saratoga,  that  ihey  never  gut  a  moutliful  except  what  they  can  lind  in  the  woods  and 
lields." 

Hon.  R.  F.  Simpson,  Member  of  Conc^ress,  of  Pendleton,  South  Caro 
lina,  thus  describes  the  region  in  which  he  resides,  and  some  of  the  contig- 
uous ones  :t 

Henhv  S.  Randail,  Esq.  Washington,  Jbd.  22,  ;  847. 

I>car  Sir  :  I  take  much  pleasure  in  answering  your  inquiries,  and  only  reijret  that  I  have 
not  more  time  to  do  full  justice  to  tiie  suhjecl.  it'  my  answers  iiiil  to  int()nn  you  with  sulH 
cient  clearness  on  any  j>oint,  I  shall  be  most  hapjiy  to  add  to  them,  at  your  suf:f;estion. 

The  AUeirany  Mountains,  as  you  are  aware,  run  i'roni  N.  E.  to  t>.  \V.  Tliat  part  of  them 
north  of  the  t>.  C.  line  lies  spread  out  in  dillerent  chains  or  ridi.'es  to  a  distance  of  nearly  bO 
miles  ;  and  the  whole  region  is-counnonly  called  "  on  the  mountains."  The  climate  is  healthy 
and  the  grass  fine.  Many  of  the  valleys  in  tliis  region  are  very  rich,  paiticularly  on  the  wa- 
ter-courses. The  gitfund  is  covered  with  snow  as  much  as  four  weeks  annnallv-  The  range 
is  gooil,  but  there  may  be  loo  much  humiilily  for  sheep. {  Tiie  land  is  chea]),  say  f  1  per 
acre — but  much  CiUi  be  Ixiught  at  .")0  cents.  1  have  learned  fi-om  good  auth(trity  that  sheep 
can  he  farmed  out  during  the  winter  at  fen  cents  a  heml,  in  any  ordinary  quantity.  The 
fanners  wiio  take  them,  too,  will  be  liable  t()r  loss  by  death,  in  many  instances. 

There  is  a  strip  of  country  lying  east  of  the  Blue  lli<lge,  and  ])arallel  to  it,  from  20  to  30 
miles  wide,  extending  through  North  and  South  Carolina  and  Georgia,  whicli  I  think  esjie- 
cially  adapted  to  sheep  husbandry.  The  land  is  poor  for  the  production  of  our  southeni  sta- 
ples, and  is  sparsely  .settled,  but  the  pasturage  is  good.  There  is  a  jierennial  grass,  known 
as  "  woods  gnuss,"  which  springs  up  in  the  woods  after  they  are  burned  each  winter,  \Nhich 
makes  excellent  pasture  for  all  kinds  of  stock.  It  starts  vigorously  in  tlie  spring,  and  .sheep 
fatten  on  it  by  the  middle  of  July.  It  lasts  all  the  summer,  and  jirovides  sufiicient  I'ood  for 
sheep  during  the  entire  winter,  except  when  snow  is  on  the  ground,  which  is  not  more  than 
two  or  three  days  at  a  time,  and  usually*  not  more  than  ten  days  during  a  winter. 

The  few  days  during  which  the  grass  is  covered  up  with  snow  are  the  only  ones,  durin*' 
the  entire  yeai",  when  it  is  necessary  to  feed  sheep.  This  is  usually  done  with  oats  in  the 
sheaf.  .  .  .  Supposing  ten  sheep  equal  to  one  cow,  I  think  one  acre  would  afiord  sub 
Bistence  to  three  sheep. 

But  few  people  mow  here.  In  a  few  instances,  herds-gra.ss  has  been  sown  and  mowed, 
but  the  prwluct  not  weighed,  to  my  knowledge.  Both  herds-grass  and  the  natural  ones,  on 
our  bottom  lauds,  look  much  richer,  and  to  all  appearance  would  turn  ofl'  a  heavier  crop  of 
hay  than  any  meadows  to  l)e  seen  on  the  line  of  travel  through  Viigiiiia. 

As  I  have  before  remarked,  the  land  is  poor,  except  the  small  bottoms  on  creeks  and 
branches.  The  latter  are  rich,  and  will  jiroduce  30  bushels  of  corn  and  from  10  to  15  bush- 
els of  wheat  per  acre.  They  also  produce  oats  and  rye,  but  I  do  not  know  how  much  by 
measurement.  I  suppose  from  10  to  20  bushels  each.  The  land  is  valued  low — from  50  cts. 
to  $1  50  per  acre — and  it  is  only  necessary  to  buy  $500  or  ■*  1.000  worth  of  it,  to  endiraco 
sufficient  bottom  to  rai.se  provisions,  and  oats  to  tt-ed  sheep  when  snow  is  <n\  the  gi-ound. — 
The  rangejl  is  very  lai'ge,  and  everybody's  stock  has  liberty  to  roam  over  it,  without  hin- 
drance or  coinpensjition. 

Our  common  method  of  managing  sheep  is  as  follows :  The  flock  are  kejit  in  the  planta- 
tion during  the  winter  by  some;  otliers  turn  out  in  the  woods.  In  May  they  are  sheared, 
the  lambs  nuirkcd.  &c.,  and  they  are  turned  into  the  out  p;islures.  When  they  come  up, 
they  are  salted,  and  no  other  attention  is  paid  to  them  until  fall,  when  most  persons  shear 
again.  Thev  are  nu-ely  brought  up  unless  to  get  a  lamb  for  tlie  table.  This  treatment  ren- 
ders them  wild,  and  prone  to  jump  into  the  owners'  or  neighbors"  wheat  fields,  from  which 
they  are  driven  out  with  rocks  and  sticks,  and  sometimes  with  dogs.     They  aie,  in  all  re- 


*  Jan.  15,  1P47. 

t  This  leUer  would  have  been  more  RppropriRfcly  included  in  my  IVlh  Letter,  but  was  not  received  in 
time,  and  it  is  by  far  too  valuable  and  interesting  to  be  on.itted. 

J  The  ert'eet  of  A«ni»</'"y  on  sheep  is,  1  think,  often  misunderstood  and  greatly  exapeerated.  Wet,  cold 
$oils  arc  unconeenial  to  sheep,  but  they  sufter  no  more  I'niin  thoi-e  ordinary  fof;s  and  vapors  which  prevail 
in  insular  positions,  or  which  are  auracted  by  mountain  ranges,  than  other  domestic  animals.  As  has  I.ecn 
before  remarked,  sheep  thrive  in  the  peculimly  f(ii;2y  atmosphere  of  Knsland — also  in  IlnllHiid.  Their 
healthiness  on  mountains  is  proverbial,  yet  ihetc  elevations  are  usually  sulijert  to  fosis.  and  clouds  rest  on 
the  sides  or  summit*  of  the  loftier  ones.  As  the  southern  mountains  are  cleared  of  their  trees,  iheir  atmo- 
aphere  will  be  less  humid,  and  that  soft  vegetable  mould  (xvhieh  excited  the  fears  of  Mr  Buckley)  will  ac- 
qiiii-e  the  ronsistency  which  it  always  does  on  a  dry  foundation,  when  exposed  to  the  sun  and  air:  and  it 
will  W  the  means  of  supplying  the  sheep  wiih  rich  vegeluble  nutriment,  instead  of  poisonini;  them  with 
••  hoof-ail."  .      ,     , 

H  The  provincial  sienification  of  this  word,  ."louth,  is  the  unincloaed  pasturage  in  the  forest  and  "out 
fields"— t.  c,  worn-out  WdB  thrown  out  to  commons. 


60  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

« 

Bpects,  treated  more  like  outlaws  than  domestic  animals.  When  out,  all  the  flocks  in  the 
neighborhood  mingle  together.  From  their  disposition  to  ramble,  and  tlie  incursions  of  dogs, 
they  get  scattered,  and  scarcely  ciny  fanner  can  get  up  to  the  fall  shearing  more  than  one- 
half  of  his  count. 

The  region  above  described  includes  Pickens,  Grenville  and  Spartansburg,  so  far  as  this 
State  is  concerned.  Going  east  of  this  strip,  you  at  once  get  into  good  land,  where  the  set- 
tlements afe  frequent.  Here  snow  is  raie,  and  wheat,  rje  and  barley  are  used  for  winter 
pastures  for  sheep,  and  they  continue  gi-owiug  during  the  winter.  Wood  glass  does  not 
abound  in  diis  )-egion,  as  the  woods  are  not  kept  burnt.* 

Very  respectfully,  yours,  &c.  R.  F.  SI.MPSON. 

The  preceding  statements  give  a  sufficient  idea  of  the  expense  of  feed- 
ing sheep  in  the  Carolinas,  Georgia,  and  the  Gulf  States.  In  all  of  these, 
there  is  a  striking  simihirity  in  soils  and  natural  products,  and  also  in  cli 
mate — with,  perhaps,  the  exception  of  North  Carolina,  which  is  a  trifle 
colder.  In  all  of  them,  as  well  as  in  all  the  other  Southern  States,  land 
can  be  bought  at  the  same  low  prices.t 

The  cost  of  the  winter  forage  of  sheep  in  Tennessee "  may  be  infeiTed 
from  the  statements  of  Mr.  Kramer,  (in  Letter  IV.)  On  even  the  lofty 
Cumberland  Mountains,  in  that  State,  grass  grows  during  the  entire  witi- 
ter,  and  snow  rarely  covers  the  ground  to  exceed  forty-eight  hours  !  Judge 
Beatty's  statements  in  relation  to  Kentucky  (in  the  same  letter)  show  that 
the  luxuriant  blue-grass  pastures  of  that  State  will  sustain  sheep  during 
the  entire  winter;  and  that  they  frequently  obtain  their  whole  subsistence 
on  the  grasses,  even  on  the  mountains.  Let  us  now  turn  to  Virginia,  the 
most  northern  of  the  Southern  States.  In  a  recent  letter  to  me,  John  S. 
Skiimer,  Esq.  says  : 

"  Hon.  ]\Ir.  Coles,  a  Member  of  Congi-ess  from  Virginia+ — a  sedate,  attentive  and  practical 
fanner — once  informed  me  that  his  flock  of  200  sheep,  kept  in  good  condition  summer  and 

winter,  did  not  cost  hinr  $10  a  year You  must  know  that  they,  in  the  general 

■way,  as  I  believe,  never  feed  their  sheep,  winter  or  sununer,  except  where  the  ground  is 
covered  with  snow — which  is  rarely  the  case,  and  then  the  snow  does  not  lie  more  than  a 
day,  or  at  most  two  days.  ...  No  doubt  winter  pastui-e  might  be  provided  by  sowing 
rye  in  the  proper  season  (the  usual  system  is  to  sow  it  the  last  thing,  and  as  long  as  the 
farmer  can  "  catch  a  chance")   and  putting  the  ground  in  good  condition ;  and  in  lliat  way 

adequate  provision  might  be  made  for  any  deficiency  of  natural  pasture When 

the  snow  docs  cover  the  ground  in  Virginia,  they  give  the  sheep  corn-blades — an  excellent 
fodder.  I  think  tlie  rule  was  when  I  was  a  Ijoy  (in  the  rare  exigeiicy  alluded  to)  to  give 
them  a  bundle  of  blades  each.  A  bundle  of  blades  compacted  would  be  about  as  large  as 
the  upper  part  of  your  arm." 

North- Western  Virginia  seems  to  be  considerably  colder  than  the  corre- 
sponding portion  of  tlic  State  east  of  the  mountains ;  and  the  winter  fod- 
dering season  is  not  greatly  shorter — though  the  amount  of  fodder  con- 
sumed ?nust  be  far  less — than  in  Western  Pennsylvania,  or  in  many  por- 
tions of  Nnw-Yorlc.||  Yet,  singularly  enough,  more  sheep  are  bred  here 
in  proportion,  probably,  than  in  any  other  portion  of  the  Southern  States ! 

*  Some  other  paragraphs  from  this  letter  are  omitted  for  quotation  under  the  heads  of  which  they  specif- 
ically treat. 

f  ilon  S  ''irons,  a  Member  of  Conip-ess  from  this  (N.  Y.)  .State,  writes  me,  after  consultation  with  vari- 
ous Southern  Member*,  that  "  good  lands  may  be  purchased  for  .SI  50  per  acre,  and  in  great  abiuidance,  in 
most  of  the  Soul  horn  St:Ue-." 

Mr.  Garret  Andrew?,  of  Wilkes  Co.,  Oeorjia,  in  a  commnnication  in  the  American  Agricnhurin  (April, 
1844),  sriyi:  :  ".■^evcrnl  liundrod  ucros  (in  thi^  middle  or  hilly  zone)  .Tre  often  sold  for  a  dollar  or  less  per 
acre.  Tiie  usual  rule  U  to  fell  the  wood-land  for  what  it  may  be  thouiihl  to  be  worth,  and  c'lvc  the  pur- 
chaser the  old  lands  and  the  hou-scs  for  nolhiti? For  $1,000  or  St,500.  a  comfortable  house  and 

out-hou-es,  garden.  &c.  may  he  had,  •vith  ^everal  hundred  acres  of  Uinil,  .  .  wantiuj  nothing  but  a  fair 
chance  to  become  a«  fertile  af  may  be  le^iired.     .     .     .     'I'heie  is  no  end  of  the  mnierials  for  iniiiiuie." 

I  recently  6  iw  it  stated  by  a  ger'Uiman  in  a  coinmunicati<jn  which  was  publi^-hed  hi  the  N.  Y.  Farmer  acd 
Mechani'-,  that  he  was  tiuthorized  to  giro  away  good  land  in  the  (y'umbei  land  .MoiinlHins  to  sober  and  iijdu8» 
trions  aeltleif'. 

The  prices  in  the  N  C.  Mountains  will  be  Been  from  Mr.  Clingman's  letter,  (Letter  IV.) 

t  Mr.  Coles  resided  in  Pittsylvania,  a  county  adjoining  North  Carolina,  in  the  middle  or  hilly  zone. 

li  .Icssc  Kdi;ingtO'i,  of  HoUiday's  Cove,  Brooke  Co  ,  Vn .  writes  me:  "Our  average  time  of  foddering  is 
at  least  4  months,  and  wc  generally  provide  provcuder  equal  to  5  tons  of  hay  for  each  hundred  grown 
Bheep,  for  the  winter." 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


61 


This  region  being  essentially  Northern  in  its  characteristics  no  allusion 
will  be  had  to  it  in  subsequent  remarks. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  preceding  statements  that  in  many,  if  not  most 
situations,  throughout  the  whole  Southern  States,  sheep  will  obtain  suffi- 
cient food  throughout  the  year  from  the  pastures,*  or  from  autunni-.sown 
gi'ains,  excepting  on  the  higher  or  more  northern  mountains.  As  has  been 
before  remarked,  as  the  grain  subsequently  yields  its  croj),  its  tillage  is  not 
properly  chargeable  among  the  expenses  of  j)roducing  wool.  The  prepa- 
ration of  hay,  and  labor  of  foddering,  are  also  dispensed  with.  By  the 
rule  of  estimation  followed  in  relation  to  New-York,  the  items  on  the  debit 
side  of  the  account  would  then  be — interest  on  purchase  money;  interest 
on  land;  exjiense  of  shearing;  salt,  tar,  and  general  supervision;  and  loss 
by  death.  The  items  on  the  credit  side  would  be  the  same  with  those  of 
New- York. 

Your  own  statements,  Sir,  as  well  as  those  of  Mr.  Simpson,  show  tliat, 
in  many  situations,  both  in  the  tide-water  and  hilly  zone,  three  sheep  can 
be  supported  on  the  herbage  of  an  acre,  without  other  fodder.  His  state- 
ments show  that  such  lands  can  be  bought  at  "  from  50  cents  to  SI  50  per 
acre."     The  annual  account  then  would  stand  thus : 


Dr. 


g  ct". 

loo  s^htt p — to  interest  on  purchiise  money,  at 

$1  25  per  head .' $3  75 

To  interest  on  33i  acres  of  land  at  $1  50 3  50 

"  expense  of  shearing 4  00 

"  salt,  tar,  and  general  sujwrvision 8  00 

"  loss  by  death  2  per  cent,  over  and  above 

value  of  pulled  wool 2  50 

Total .826  75 


Cr. 


%  cts. 


By  3(K)  Ihs.  of  wool  at  31  ctriis  per  pound. .  .?'.>3  00 

"     bU  lanihs,  at  62^  cents  per  head 50  00 

"  Manure t 28  00 


Total $171  00 


Balance $144  25 


Making  $4  32,  or  tivo  hundred  and  eighty-eight  per  cent,  clear  profit  per 
acre,  on  lands  worth  81  50  ! 

By  the  respective  estimates  it  will  be  seen  that  the  gross  cost  of  pro- 
ducing a  pound  of  wool  (allowing  3  lbs.  to  the  fleece)  is,  in  the  Southern 
States,  8y^2^  cents  ;  in  New-York  27|4  centsj — or  vearly  three  and  a  haJf 
times  gieater  in  the  latter  !  I  have  put  down  the  expense  of  shearing  the 
same  in  both  cases,  and  the  supervision.  South,  twice  as  high  as  the  snm- 
mer  care,  in  the  North.  Shearing  always  costs  SI  a  day,  per  hand,  in  the 
North,  and  the  summer  care  devolves  upon  the  paid  laborer  whose  every 
hour  counts.  The  shearing  would  not  be  worth  to  exceed  82  a  hundred 
on  a  plantation  where  slaves  are  kept,  and  the  supervision  or  care  could 
scarcely  be  considered  an  expense,  when  it  cauld  be  borne  mainly,  if  not 
entirely,  by  superannuated  or  decrepit  slaves,  or  even  by  children.  The 
real  expense  of  growing  wool  on  land  of  this  quality  and  price  would  be 
about  5^2  cents  per  pound  ;||  and  calling  the  fleece  4  lbs.  (which  weight  it 
always  ought  to  be  made  to  attain)  it  would  but  little  exceed  31  cents.§ 
This  is  above  Mr.  Coles's  estimate  of  expense  in  southern  central  Vir- 
ginia, and  Mr.  John  S.  Skinner  has  repeatedly  expressed  the  opinion  that 
it  could  be  gi'own  in  various  parts  of  the   Southern  States   at  3  cents  per 

*  This  supply  conld  be  rendered  far  more  certain  and  avail«hle,  where  desirable,  by  leaving  a  ponion  of 
the  fields  undepastured  in  the  latter  part  of  summer  and  autumn.  This  "fog"  or  after-grass  would  not  only 
atford  much  food,  of  ii^-\f.  but  it  also  ereatly  favors  the  sprouting  of  the  young  grass  iindcmeath  it,  by  the 
protection  it  otfers  from  fri'Sts  and  cold  winds. 

t  I  have  put  this  down  the  same  as  at  the  North,  because  I  suppose  it  is  just  as  valuable  at  the  Pouth, 
and  quite  as  much  needed.  Few  are  disposed  to  appreciate  the  value  of  manure  when  it  is  not  presented 
to  their  view  in  bulk,  as  in  the  biim-yard;  but  it  is  worth  quite  as  much,  dropped  in  the  first  ins^twnce 
over  the  fields.     I  feel  confident  that  I  have  not  over-estimated  its  value  either  for  the  South  or  the  Ncrth. 

X  To  obtain  these  result-s,  1  divided  the  whole  annual  expense,  as  set  down  in  the  respective  estimatea, 
with  the  exception  of  the  charce  of  2  per  cent,  for  loss  by  deHth,  by  the  amount  of  wool  produced.  For 
reasons  already  jriven.  I  do  not  consider  the  wool  chareciible  with  such  loss  by  death,  except  in  an  es* 
timate  where  the  full  product  of  wool  and  lambs  is  carried  out. 

Sin  this  estimate  I  call  shearing  62  per  hundred,  sait  and  tar  $1,  and  Bupervibion  nothijug. 
Estimated  aa  in  the  preceding  note. 


62  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


pound*  My  own  impression,  however,  is  that  the  land,  properly  in- 
closed, that  will  support  3  sheep  per  annum,  will  cost,  except  in  occa- 
sional localities,  not  less  than  $4  or  $5,  let  the  amount  be  more  or  less  ; 
and  this  would  bring  the  cost  of  production  (with  3-lb.  fleeces)  to  between 
7  and  8  cents  per  pound.     I  shall  hereafter  assume  it  to  be  8  cents. 

On  many  of  the  more  northern  mountains  of  the  Southern  States,  and 
on  the  high  peaks  farther  south,  neither  the  grasses  nor  grain  grow  suffi' 
ciently  to  support  sheep,  unless  the  range  is  very  large  in  proportion  to 
the  number,  during  the  winter .t  Here,  as  in  the  Northern  States,  dry  feed 
must  be  prepared  for  the  winter  subsistence  of  sheep.  This  can  be  read- 
ily done,  as  the  best  meadow  grasses  of  the  North  and  the  clovers  flomish 
on  the  sides  of  the  mountains.^  There  is  little  doubt  that  sheep  can  be 
wintered  on  dry  feed  on  many  of  the  mountains,  and  yet,  on  account  of 
the  extreme  cheapness  of  the  lands,  the  cost  of  producing  wool  not  exceed 
eight  cents  per  pound. 

In  the  circumstances  of  many  of  the  lowland  plantations,  it  would  be 
a  most  economical  arrangement  to  summer  the  sheep  on  the  mountains, 
and  then  drive  them  to  these  plantations  to  be  wintered  on  pasture,  fog, 
or  grain  fields,  according  to  convenience.  After  the  lainbs  have  reached 
a  sufficient  age  in  the  spring,  and  the  sheep  are  shorn,  marked,  &c.,  a 
flock  might  be  sent  thirty,  fifty,  or  even  a  hundred  miles  to  its  summer 
range  on  the  mountains,  at  a  trifling  expense ;  and  large  numbers  could 
be  kept  there  under  the  surveillance  of  a  single  shepherd  and  a  brace  or 
two  of  dogs.  By  this  system  the  lowland  plantation  would  be  saved  from 
maintaining  pasture  on  more  expensive  lands ;  many  of  its  less  marketa- 
ble products  could  be  converted  into  wool,  meat,  and  manure  ;  and  it 
would  be  enriched  by  the  wintering  of  the  she^p. 

Such,  you  are  aware,  is  the  system  of  sheep  husbandry  in  Spain.  The 
sheep  are  wintered  on  the  plains  of  Estremadura,  sometimes  reaching  the 
north  of  Andalusia.  Both  of  these  provinces,  though  in  a  latitude  cor- 
responding with  that  of  a  portion  of  the  United  States,  extending  from 
Albemarle  Sound  to  a  little  north  of  Philadelphia,  are  parched,  during  the 
summer,  to  a  state  of  arid  sterility,  by  the  burning  winds  of  Africa.||     In 

*  See  Monthly  Journal  of  Ag:Ticulture. 

t  With  sufficient  ranije,  however,  they  not  only  obtain  subsistence,  but  get  ftt.  .Tohn  S.  Skinner,  Esq., 
writes  me :  "  In  the  mountains  of  Virginia,  viz.,  at  the  Warm  Springs,  Dr.  Brockenboro  told  me  that  a 
flock  of  sheep  which  he  had  bouaht  for  use  during  the  watering  season,  strayed,  and  got  oti' beyond  reach 
during  the  summer ;  that  the  winter  after  they  were  rarely  seen  :  and  that  as  chance  offered  ihey  were 
sliot ;  and  that  tiner  and  fatter  mutton  he  never  desired  to  see."  The  Warm  Springs  are  in  Bath  county, 
among  the  Western  or  Allegany  Mountains,  a  few  minutes  north  of  latitude  38°. 

J:  See  Mr.  Gogjin's  statements  in  Letter  IV.  Since  the  above  was  written,  I  have  received  the  following 
statements  from  Mr.  W.  Murdock,  of  Asheville,  Buncombe  county.  North  Carolina : 

"  Kxcollent  swards  of  grass  are  grown  in  this  di.strict  from  Orchard  grass  or  Cock's-foot.  Timothy  and 
Italian  Rye  grass  I  have  found  to  thrive  remarkably  well.  I  never  saw  them  do  better  in  any  country.  I 
received  my  seeds  from  Kncland,  and  they  succeeded  admirably,  and  in  ground  by  no  means  favorable  to 
B  fair  trial.     Turnips  succeed  remarkably  well  here,  and  even  150  miles  farther  south,  as  I  am  informed  by 

Mr.  Kdward  Calhoun— the  kinds  I  don't  know— but  here  the  Globe,  Aberdeen,  Norfolk,  &c.,  do  well 

If  grounds  were  reserved  as  you  suggest,  for  the  winter  feeding  of  sheep,  the  fall  growth  being  under- 
pastured,  and  if  some  of  the  stulibles  were  plowed  up  and  sown  broadcast  with  turnips  mlxxd  with  rape 
or  colza,  very  little  fodder  will  be  required,  in  fact  only  when  snow  is  on  the  ground,  which  seldom  ex- 
ceeds fifteen  or  twenty  days  during  the  year."  [This  fully  coutirms  the  positions  assumed  by  me  near  the 
close  of  Letter  IV.] 

•'  I  think  that  Curled  Kale  would  be  excellent  for  the  winter  keep  of  sheep,  or  cattle  of  any  kind.  I  got 
some  seed  from  England  and  sowed  it  like  any  cabbage  seed.  I  put  out  the  plants  two  feet  asunder  in  but 
tolerable  ground.  It  grew  three  feet  high  and  two  feet  in  diameter.  That  1  planted  in  the  ojn-n  field  the 
eheep  got  at  in  October,  and  ate  it,  stock,  branches  and  all,  to  the  ground.  That  planted  in  the  garden  has, 
like  the  rape,  stood  the  severe  frosts  uninjured.     It  is  a  delightful  vegetable  all  the  spring,  ami  stands  a 

warm  or  a  cold  climate This  and  rape  are,  I  think,  all  the  green  food  necessary  to  keep  sheep 

through  the  winter,  with  the  addition  of  a  little  hay.  Rape  may  be  sown  broadcast  in  moist  weather  in 
May  or  Jime,  and  mown  ott"  for  the  sheep,  when  required,  about  six  inches  above  ground.  If  the  shoots 
are  not  required  for  pasture,  let  them  go  to  seed,  and  the  feed  will  pay  better  than  any  other  crop,  for 
making  oil  and  rape  cake." 

il  Here  is  a  notable  instance  of  the  want  of  correspondence  between  isothermal  and  latitudinal  lines  be- 
tween the  west  of  Europe  and  the  eastern  portion  of  our  own  Continent.  The  two  Spanish  provinces  the 
latitude  of  which  is  above  given,  have  a  climate  more  resembling  the  scorched  llanos  of  Caraccas  than  any 
poition,  even  the  most  southerly,  of  the  United  States. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  63 


the  winter,  liowevcr,  tlu^y  are  covered  with  verdure.  About  the  first  of 
May  the  sheep  start  for  the  mountains.*      Formerly  many  of  tliem    rested 

on  the  \ofty  jxmnncras  atid  mountain  sides   of  Old  and  New  Castile the 

latter  bleak,  sterile  and  craLjijy,  compared  with  the  sides  of  our  own  South- 
ern mountains.  I5ut  a  friend  recently  fiom  Spain  informs  me  that  those 
once  magnificent  Hocks  (now,  alas  !  thinned  by  confiscation, t  the  whole- 
sale plunder  of  invaders,|  and  for  the  subsistence  of  adverse  armies, ||)  do  not 
at  present  st<»p  in  any  considerable  numbers  on  tlie  Castilian  mountains, 
but  pa.ss  north  to  the  Cantabrian,  and  that  portion  of  the  Iberian  ranfrc 
north  of  Soria — or  crossing  the  latter,  8})read  over  the  Eastein  Pyrenees, 
and  tlie  mountains  of  Saragossa  north  of  the  Ebro. 

Anything:  like  an  elaborate  cf)m])arison  between  the  facilities  for  sheep 
husbandry  furnished  by  the  mountains  of  Spain  and  the  Apalachians  of 
the  United  States,  south  of  the  Potomao^  would,  perhaps,  be  out  of  place 
in  this  connection.  But  a  jjlance  at  them  may  throw  useful  lii^ht  on  the 
question  of  ccmiparative  profit.  If  the  Spaniard  can  f»^row  wool  at  a  profit, 
where  the  natural  and  })hysi(%Tl  features  of  the  country  gives  him  no  ad- 
vantatre  over  us,  we  can  certainly  do  so  ;  for  in  every  other  respect  we 
have  the  advantage. 

The  Eastern  Pyrenees  rise  to  a  hight  of  10,000  feet,§  more  than  double 
that  of  the  Peaks  of  Otter,  or  that  of  any  other  portion  of  the  Apalachian 
range,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  summits  in  North  Carolina.  Mount 
Perdu,  one  of  the  Pyrenees,  is  11,283  feet  in  hight,^  or  4,807  feet  higher 
than  the  Black,  the  highest  mountain  of  the  United  States  east  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi. Maladetta,  Vignemale  and  others  rise  considerably  above  10,000 
feet.**  Glaciers  exist  on  different  parts  of  the  whole  chain.  "  The  acclivity 
of  the  Pyrenees  on  the  side  of  Spain,  is  often  extremely  steep, tt  present 
ing  a  succession  of  rugged  chasms,  abrupt  precipices,  and  huge  masses  of 
naked  rock."tJ  Mifiano,  a  Spanish  writer  of  authority,  in  defending  his 
countrymen  from  the  charge  of  indolence,  speaks  particularly  of  the  ef 
forts  of  the  hardy  peasantry  on  the  "  almost  inaccessible  mountains  of  the 
Asturias,  Galicia  and  Catalonia."  The  vegetation  on  these  mountains  is  ex- 
tremely variable,  in  some  places  being  as  luxuriant  as  the  best  on  our  South- 
em  Apalachians,  but  more  frequently  dwarfish  and  meager.  On  laro^e 
portions  of  them  it  is  entirely  wanting.  The  northera  acclivities  are  fre- 
quently swept  by  cold  and  piercing  gales  from  the  Bay  of  Biscay.  On  the 
•whole,  it  will  be  seen  that  they  do  not  compare  with  our  southern  moun- 
tains in  the  advantages  which  they  offer  for  sheep  husbandry.]]  ]] 

*  For  finmilar  nnil  interpstin?  particulars  in  relation  to  theirmarch,  &c.,  and  the  municipal  regulations 
pertaining  thL-reto,  see  Livinsston  on  Sheep,  p.  36  et  siiprn. 

t  Some  of  the  choicest  flucks  in  .Spain  were  contiscated  by  the  Oovcmmrnt  durinir  the  creat  anli-fiallic 
rtrugslc.  In  the  winter  of  1809,  the  .''panish  Junto  confiscated  the  great  floclts  of  the  infamously  celebrated 
Godoy  and  several  other  nobles,  and  they  were  bought  by  foreigners  for  cxpiirtatitin. 

JThe  French  Marshals,  not  finding  anything  in  .*pain  to  benefit  the  Jive  arlis  n(  Inbrlle  France,  as  in  Italp, 
condescended,  it  is  said,  to  benefit  her  Agriculliire.  by  diiving  home  some  of  the  best  flocks  (lf^^pain.  The 
Allied  Armies  compelled  the  restitution  of  the  marble  and  cavra.i.  but  thaup  priceless  Jlocks  cither  could  not 
be  re-collected,  or  they  were  not  regarded  as  of  sufficient  importance  to  be  returned. 

II  The  Commiasariat  of  the  English,  French  and  Spanish  armies, 

"The  foe,  the  victim,  and  the  fond  ally," 

found  the  great  .''panish  flocks  a  very  convenient  resort,  and  availed  themselves  of  it  fully.  The  Guerillas, 
contrabandists,  and  fugitive  inhabitants,  of  course,  did  the  paine. 

S  Malte  Brun.  TI  lb.  •*  Kncyclopmdia  Americana ;  art.  Pyrenees. 

ri  Monlscrrat  (in  Catalonia),  so  famous  for  its  monastic  establishments,  will  occur  to  you  in  this  connec- 
tion— where  the  steepness  is  so  great  that  the  monks  ascend  from  hermilaiie  to  hermitage  by  ladders  or 
stairs  cut  in  the  rocks  !  Jt  Encyclopa;dia  Americana  ;  art.  Pyrenees. 

II II  How  much  the  associations  of  early  life — early  reading — dispose  us  to  exaggerate  even  the  physical 
extent  of  the  recion  covered  by  these  mountains,  connected  as  they  are  with  so  miiny  romantic  and  inter- 
esting remembrances  !  The  wh<-le  chain,  extending  from  Cape  Finisterre  to  Port  Vendics.  does  not  exceed 
5250  miles  in  leneth  :  and  the  space  covered  by  it  is  not,  in  Western  parlance,  a  "  circumstance  "  to  that  oc- 
cupied by  our  Southern  Apalachians  !  Yet,  in  the  western  An// of  this  chain,  Pelayo  and  his  successors 
maintained  their  Visi-Gothic  kingdom,  overthrew  the  descendants  of  the  Abassides  and  Omrniades,  and 
finally  wrested  Spain  from  the  Moorish  yoke.    Who  remembers,  without  the  map  under  bis  eye,  that  Bai» 


64  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

The  route  pursued  by  the  Spanish  flocks  fi-om,  say,  the  middle  of  Es- 
tremadura  to  the  Cantabrian  mountains  (the  western  portion  of  the  Py- 
renees), cannot  fall  short  of  300  miles.  It  equals  270  miles  in  a  direct 
line.  In  addition  to  the  length  of  the  journey,  they  are  compelled  to  cross 
the  Castilian  mountains,  and  if  they  come  from  the  south  of  Estremadura, 
also  the  mountains  of  Toledo.  Their  route  to  the  eastern  Pyrenees  would 
be  farther  and  still  more  difficult.  Every  circumstance,  then,  excepting 
municipal  regulations,*  gives  our  Southern  States,  on  both  sides  of  the 
Apalachians,  a  manifest  advantage  over  Spain,  for  the  purposes  of  migra- 
tory sheep  husbandry. 

Before  closing  the  investigation  of  the  question  of  the  direct  profits  of 
wool-growing  in  the  Southern  States,  it  is  proper  to  inquire  if  there  are 
any  special  local  militating  causes  or  disadvantages  not  yet  adverted  to 
which  should  be  taken  into  the  asscount.  Diligent  investigation  has  satis- 
fied me  that  there  are  no  such  causes — on  the  other  hand,  that  there  is  a 
remarkable  exemption  from  them — with  one  exception.  That  exception 
is  the  destruction  caused  by  wolves  and  dogs. 

Wolves  are  found  in  nearly  all  new,  and  particularly  in  mountainous 
countries  ;  but  they  invariably  rapidly  give  way  before  the  extension  of 
population.!  They  have  even  now  ceased  to  be  very  destructive  in  the 
most  sparsely  settled  regions  of  the  South.  Mr.  Simpson,  in  the  letter  be- 
fore quoted  from,  says  : 

"  There  are  but  few  wolves  in  South  Carolina,  excepting  on  the  mountaina.  Otherwise, 
our  sheep  which  roam  at  large  untended  by  shepherd,  and  uncared-for  by  any  one,  would 
soon  be  exterminated.  The  wolves  are  not  numerous  even  on  tlie  mountains.  They  are 
not  so  destructive  as  dogs,  which  every  now  and  then  attack  and  destroy  the  sheep.  A 
tnisty  shepherd,  with  a  dog  or  two  and  a  rifle,  would  prevent  this." 

These  remarks  would  apply  equally  well  to  nearly  all  the  Southern 
States.  Wolves  do  but  little  damage,  and  would  soon  cease  to  do  any ; 
but  the  miserable,  prowling  curs  are,  in  many  places,  a  serious  detriment. 
There  is  something  singular  in  the  fact  that  while  so  much  complaint  is 
made  of  them  in  the  Southern  and  Western  States,  in  New- York,  where 
there  is  certainly  a  great  surplus  of  them,  we  hear  little,  comparatively 
speaking,  of  their  depredations.  I  am  inclined  to  attribute  it  to  the  fact 
that  dogs  are  here  constantly  familiarized  with  the  sight  of  sheep.  The 
first  even  playful  movement  of  the  adventurous  puppy  toward  them  is 
severely  chastised,  and  he  is  thus  educated  to  recognize  them  as  within 
the  category  of  "  protected  "  animals.  The  dog  which  slays  or  even  pur- 
sues a  sheep,  finds  a  long  pedigree  or  a  silver  collar  utterly  unavailing  to 
save  him  from  immediate  death.| 

But  even  in  the  South  or  West,  the  loss  occasioned  by  the  depredations 


nockbiim  was  fought  and  Flodden  lost  to  defend  a  Kingilom  of  half  the  dimensions  of  a  good-sized  Ameri- 
can 5Jfi(c .'  In  coinparins;  the  agricultural  capabiliiies— and  especially  in  ej-timating  the  ultimate  result  of 
aziicultuial  competition  between  our  own  country  and  the  European  ones,  we  rarely  take  sufficiently  into 
view  ihe  great  disparity  in  territorial  dimensions. 

*  For  the  monopoly  of  privileges  conferred  on  the  flock-masters  of  Spain  to  the  oppression  and  prostra- 
tion of  every  other  branch  of  husbandry,  see  Lasterie,  and  also  Livincston  on  .'^heep. 

t  A  bounty  of  $10  is  paid  for  the  destruction  of  every  full-grown  wolf,  and  $5  for  a  wolf's  whelp  in  the 
State  of  New-Yok. 

X  In  New-York  it  is  provided  by  law  that  every  bitch  over  three  months  old  shall  be  taxed  $2  ;  everj'  ad- 
ditional one  owned  by  the  same  man  $5;  two  dogs  over  6  months  old  $1  ;  every  additional  one  $3.  The 
avails  of  these  taxes  constitute  a  fund,  out  of  which  Supervisors  of  Counties  are  to  pay  for  any  sheep  slain 
by  dogs  whose  owners  are  unknown.     This  is  not  often  enforced. 

Any  person  may  kill  any  dog  "  which  he  shall  see  chasing,  worrying,  or  wounding  any  sheep,"  unless  by 
direction  of  owner. 

The  owner  or  possessor  of  any  dog  on  being  notified  "  of  any  injury  done  by  hia  dog  to  any  sheep,  or 
his  dog  having  chased  or  worried  any  sheep,"  must  within  48  hours  kill  his  dog,  or  forfeit  $2  .50,  and  the 
farther  sum  of  $1  25  for  every  48  hours  thereafter,  unless  "  it  shall  satisfactorily  appear  to  the  Court  that  it 
was  not  in  the  power  of  such  owner  or  possessor  to  kill  such  dog."  Revised  Statutes  of  New-Y'ork,  vol.  L 
chap.  XX.,  title  xvii. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  $5 


of  other  animuls,  or  the  expense  of  guarding  against  them,  woulJ  be  light 
compared  with  that  in  some  of  the  wool-growing  regions  of  the  Old  World. 

In  Australia,  the  sheep  are  exposed  to  the  attack  of  wolves,  dogs,  and 
conrirf.s,  and  are  constantly  attended  by  a  sliepherd,  and  nightly  folded, 
and  guarded  by  a  watchman  with  dogs  and  a  tire.* 

At  the  Cape  of  CJood  Hope,  the  shepherd  and  folding  system  is  also  fol- 
lowed. In  addition  to  wolves,  and  wild  dogs  whicli  hunt  in  packs,  and 
from  their  superior  sagacity  are  much  more  formidable  than  wolves,t  tlie 
Cape  sheep  are  preyed  upon  by  a  vanety  of  animals,  and  when  they  pass 
the  mountains  to  glean  the  herbage  whicli  springs  on  the  banks  of  the 
streams  on  the  vast  and  lonely  Karoos,  they  are  exposed  to  the  attack  of 
the  lion,  the  panther,  the  leopard,  and  the  whole  Feline  family,  so  abund- 
ant and  so  particularly  formidable  in  Southern  Africa. J  And  they  have 
had,  and  probably  yet  have,  an  enemy  more  destructive  than  all  of  these, 
in  the  Bushmen,  more  wild,  irreclaimable,  and  predatory  than  their  con- 
geners, the  Bedouins  of  the  J^rabian  desert. || 

I  have  seen  it  proposed^  ^o  teach  young  cattle  to  protect  sheep  from 
dogs,  in  the  following  manner  :  Turn  a  few  steers  into  the  pasture  with 
the  sheep,  and  with  them  a  cow  or  two,  having  young  calves  at  their  sides. 
Send  a  dog  into  the  held,  and  immediately  the  cows,  followed  by  the 
steers,  will  commence  a  furious  onset  on  the  dog,  and  gore  him  or  drive 
him  from  the  field.  After  this  is  repeated  a  few  times,  it  is  said  the  steers 
will  suffer  no  dosr  to  enter  the  inclosure. 

This  might  do  very  well  under  some  circumstances,  but  I  should  prefer 
to  rel)/  on  the  remedy  proposed  by  Mr.  Simpson  :  the  Jog  and  the  rifle. 
There  are  no  "  shepherd  dogs  "  large  and  powerful  enough  to  encounter 
and  kifl  wolves  and  vagrant  dogs,  excepting  the  gi'eat  sheep-dog  of  Spain  ; 
and  he  is  so  irreclaimably  ferocious  to  all  excepting  his  charge,  that  he 
might  frequently  bring  his  owner  into  difficulty,  and  even  endanger  human 
life.  My  impression  is  that  a  shepherd  dog  or  tw^o,  to  be  on  the  alert, 
and  a  brace  of  mastiffs  to  capture  and,  if  need  be,  slay  wolf  or  cur,  would 
be  adequate  protection  for  the  sheep  on  a  considerable  range,  and  the 
expense  of  maintaining  them  would  be  trifling. 

•  Cunninebara's  "Two  Years  in  New  South  Wales,"  vol.  i.  p.  251. 
t  Missii>nary  Labors  and  Scenes  in  Southern  Africa,  by  Rev.  Robert  Moffat  pp.  23-4. 
{The  following  st&nza  from  the  spirited  lines  of  Freilisrath — "  The  Lion's  Ride  " — will  occur  to  yon : 
"And  the  vulture  scentine  a  coming  carouse, 
Sails,  hoarsely  screaming,  down  the  sky  ; 
The  bloody  hyena,  be  sure,  is  nigh, 
Fierce  pillager  he  of  the  charnel-house  ! 
The  panther,  too,  who  strangles  the  Cape-Town  sheep 
As  they  lie  asleep, 
Athirst  for  his  share  in  the  slauehter,  follows  ; 
While  the  gore  of  their  victim  spreads  like  a  pool  in  the  sandy  hollows  I " 
II  To  thpse  may  be  added  the  savage  Kaffirs,  who,  in  their  recent  struggle  with  the  Colonial  Government 
destroyeil  and  drnvc  otl'  immense  numbers  of  cattle  and  sheep.    In  1834|  "  the  natives,"  says  Youatt,  "  drove 
offer  destroyed  ?0,000  cattle  and  sheep  almost  innumerable." 
§  By  a  writer  in  tlie  American  Agriculturist. 


66  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


LETTER  VI. 

PROFITS  OF  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTHERN  STATES— 2.  AS  THE 
BASIS  OF  AMELIORATION  IN  NATURALLY  STERILE  AND  WORN-OUT 
SOILS. 

Feasibility  of  rendering  the  naturally  sterile  and  worn-out  Soils  of  the  South  prod  active...  Means  must  be 
ample  and  cheap..  .Ordinary  Animal  Manures  from  Stables,  &c.,  not  attainable  in  suthcient  quantity — too 
expensive  if  transported  far  by  land  carriage..  .Animal  Manures  of  Commerce  still  more  out  of  the  ques- 
tion.. .Gypsura — not  .sullicient  of  itself...  Wood  Ashes — Leached  Ashes— their  great  value,  but  Umited 
quHUtity. ..  Lime  (marl)..  .Swamp  Mud — inexhaustible  quantity  of  eacli.. -Valuable  Eti'ects  of  Lime  on 
8()ils...Olherwiso  when  there  is  a  deficiency  of  Organic  Matter. .  .Opinion  of  Johnston,  Brown,  Lord 
Kainies,  Anderson,  Morton,  Thaer,  Petzholdt,  Chaptal..  ..-^outliern  Tertiary  and  Granitic  Soils  destitute  of 
Organic  Matter..  .Expensiveness  of  Marl— not  very  permanent  in  its  eti'ects..  .The  best  Swamp  Mud  worth 

more  per  load This,  too,  an  expensive  manure Both  too  costly  for  extensive  ameliorations.,  .is  there, 

then,  any  resort?— There  is — it  is  to  be  found  in  a  Mixed  System  of  Green  and  Animal  Manuring,  the  lat- 
ter made  attainable  by  Sheep  Husbandry. . -Experience  and  Testimony  of  various  English  Farmers  under 
analoaous  circumstances.. .  Reasons  why  Sheep  are  preferred  to  Horned  Cattle  for  this  purpose.  ..Con- 
Bideied  more  profitable  in  EnclaHd,  and  by  some  in  the  United  States,  independent  of  Fleece..  .Singular 
Hallucination  of  Col  Taylor  on  this  subject..  .Sheep  preferred  as  Improvers  of  Poor  Lands  in  the  North- 
ern and  Eastern  States,  but  the  end  sought  by  ditferent  means  from  those  employed  in  England..  .The 
English  System — Reasons  why  it  is  inapplicable  in  the  United  States..  .System  in  the  Northern  and  East- 
ern American  States... l^roper  System  in  the  Southern  States,  on  Lands  now  partly  Grassed,  and  on  Naked 
Soils...  Green  M^muring — how  accomplished — I'roper  Plants  for  the  purpose — Practical  Rules — Expensive- 
ness.. .Should  the  Pasture  Lands  of  the  South  be  exclusively  devoted  to  Sheep  Grazing? — Should  not... 
Home  Demand  should  be  supplied  by  Home  Production,  in  the  Staples  furnished  by  all  the  Domestic 
Animals— Reasons  therefor.. .As  a  surplus  or  exporting  Animal  Staple,  Sheep  furnish  the  one  in  which 
the  South  can  best  compete  with  other  Producers. 

Dear  Sir  :  Let  us  now  pass  to  the  second  point  in  reference  to  which 
we  are  to  consider  the  profits  of  sheep  husbandry  in  the  Southern  States, 
viz.:  the  practicability  and  comparative  economy  of  making  it  the  basis 
of  an  effectual  amelioration  in  soils  naturally  sterile,  or  those  which  have 
been  rendered  so  by  excessive  and  injudicious  cultivation. 

The  first  of  these  classes  of  soils  is  confined,  mainly,  to  the  tide-water 
zone.  The  second  is  found  both  in  this  and  the  hilly  zone,  and,  I  need 
not  say,  in  immense  quantities. 

How  can  these  soils  be  profitably  ameliorated  ]  It  is  certain  that  this 
can  only  be  done  by  the  introduction  into  them  of  substances  fitted  to  be- 
come the  food  of  plants — or  which,  by  chemical  combinations  or  changes, 
prepare  othei-  substances  to  become  such  food.  On  soils  naturally  too 
sterile  to  sustain  useful  vegetation,  the  quantity  of  fertilizing  matter  intro- 
duced must  be  comparatively  large.  Hence  it  must  be  cheap,  or  its  cost 
■will  more  than  overbalance  its  advantages.  There  are  various  manures 
which  separately,  or  in  conjunction,  would  convert  the  worst  acre  of  bar- 
ren sand  between  Richmond  and  Raleigh,  or,  if  you  please,  on  the  Desert 
of  Sahara,  into  a  fertile  garden,  provided  it  could  have  timely  rains  and 
be  protected  from  the  burying  sands.  But  it  is  utterly  useless  to  argue 
the  fcasib'dltij  of  this  means  or  that,  without  at  the  same  time  e.\amining 
its  economy ,  ^ 

The  direct  and  profuse  application  of  animal  manures,  for  example, 
would  probably  effectually  ameliorate  any  of  these  soils.  But  where  are 
these  manures  to  be  obtained,  in  a  region  where  the  first  necessary  condi- 
tion for  their  production,  i.  e.  the  vegetation  necessary  to  support  domes- 
tic animals,  is  wanting  ]  The  quantity  accumulating  in  the  cities  and  vil- 
lages of  a  comparatively  sparsely  po])ulated  region — in  a  climate  where 
the  preservation  of  putrefying  substances  would  be   incompatible  with 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


67 


health,  would  be  inconsiderable.  And  whether  more  or  less,  it  would  not 
])ay  the  cost  of  transportation  to  any  consider.able  distance  by  land  car- 
riac;e.  Guano,  poudrt'tte,  bone-dust,  and  all  the  expensive  manures  of 
commerce,  are  still  more  out  of  the  question.  Gypsum,  on  account  of  the 
smalluess  of  the  (piantity  r«Miuisite,  is  a  cheap  manure,  and,  reasoninir  from 
analoc^y,  should  be  a  valuable  one,  under  proper  circumstances,  at  least  on 
the  i^ranitic  soils  of  the  South.*  Mr.  RutHn  states  that  it  produces  little  ef- 
fect in  the  Teitiary  sands.t  It  is  considered  by  practical  men  to  be,  at 
the  best,  rather  an  auh-r  of  orq^anic  maiuire  than  a  Kubsthtrlc  for  it,  and 
when  repeatedly  applied  without  any  other  fertilizing  substance,  it  ceases 
to  produce  any  visible  eft'ect.  On  an  exhausted  soil,  the  chemical  consti- 
tution of  pypsum  shows  that  it  could  not  replace  all  the  substances  ab- 
stracted by  the  plants  ;  and  on  one  naturally  sterile,  there  is  small  proba- 
bility that  it  would  happen  to  supply  the  only  deficiency  necessary  to  the 
production  of  vegetation.  Wood  ashes  constitute  a  most  valuable  manure 
on  probably  every  class  of  soils,  and.  unlike  lime,  gypsum,  soda,  etc.,  which 
afl'ord  only  a  limited  number  of  those  substances  which  constitute  ^the 
necessary  food  of  plants,  they  afford  in  a  greater  proportion  than  any 
other  manure  the  inorganic  sul)stances  which  are  taken  up  and  assimilated 
by  plants.^  They  are  used  with  the  most  beneiicial  effect  on  the  granitic 
soils  of  New-England,  the  calcareous  and  aluminous  ones  of  Middle  New 
York,  the  silicious  ones  of  the  southern  or  grazing  region,  and  on  the  Ter- 
tiary sands  of  Long  Island,  On  the  latter,  of  the  same  geological  forma- 
tion with  your  tide-water  zone — in  fact  but  a  continuation  of  it — even  the 
leached  or  washed  ashes  bring  a  shilling  per  bushel  (the  same  that  is  paid 
for  the  unwashed  ashes  by  the  soaper  and  manufacturer  of  pearl  or  pot 
ashes)  for  agricultural  purposes. ||  But  the  supply  cannot  be  made  suffi- 
ciently large  for  extensive  agricultural  ameliorations,  without  a  destruc- 
tion of  the  forests,  which  would  inflict  a  gi-ievous  and  utterly  inexcusable 
wrong  on  posterity. 

The  Southern  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States  possess  two  natural  and  inex- 
haustible deposits  of  fertilizing  matter,  which,  it  is  supposed  by  many, 
would  be  fully  adequate  to  the  general  "  reclamation  "§  of  their  barren  and 
exhausted  evils.  The  first  of  these  is  the  marl,  which  underlies  large  por- 
tions of  the  low  country  of  Virginia  and  South  Carolina,  and  probably  the 

*  I  refer  here  to  the  successful  example  of  ita  use  on  the  (rranitic  soils  of  New-Kngland.  I  have  particu- 
larly specitied  this  class  of  soils  because  your  barren  ones  are  limited  to  them  and  to  the  Tertinry.  (jypsum 
is  used  at  the  North  on  nearly  evei-y  class  of  soils  with  advantage — calcareous,  aluminous,  silicious  and  all 
intermediate  vaiieties.  It  will  be  found  very  valuable,  I  have  no  doubt,  on  your  mountain  lands,  particu- 
larly in  localities  where  the  clovers  flourish. 

t'Ruffin's  Agricultural  Survey  of  South  Carolina.  1843. 

J  To  show  the  value  of  ashes  as  the  food  of  plants,  and  nt  the  same  time  the  ditfererre  between  those 
made  from  diflercnt  woods,  I  append  the  following  analyses  of  those  of  two  well-known  southern  trees. 
That  of  oak  ai-hesia  by  Sprengel,  that  of  piich-pine  ashes  by  Be'nhier  : 


Constituents. 

Oak. 

PitikPine. 

Constiliunts. 

Oak. 

Pitrh-Pine. 

14-10 

20-75 

3-45 

0-90 

■i7-r>o 

^•ij_ 

29-95 

?      8  14 

17-38 
1-44 

7-50 

1110 
2-75 

13  (JO 
4-35 

IC,  M 
f>-73 
3- 36 
1-92 
2-41 

1.--,  47 

fioda 

Oxifle  of  lion 

Osirle  of  Manganese 

1  .''ulphuric  Acid 

Pho.-phcric  Acid 

Cariionic  Acid 

II  This  fact  1  consider  an  important  hint  to  the  planters  of  the  lide-water  zone,  and  it  is  to  be  hopeil  that 
it  is  one  which  will  not  be  thrown  away.  Leached  ashes  are  valuable  also  on  every  other  class  of  lands. 
The  southern  portion  of  my  farm  (lying  on  Chemung  rocks')  is  silicious.  The  northern  part  is  covered 
■with  ••  northern  drift."  and  is  therefore  calcareous.  I  use  from  3,.")()0  to  4,000  bushels  of  leached  ashes  per 
annum,  without  any  discrimination  as  regards  the  soil,  and  on  almost  every  variety  of  crops,  and  invariably 
with  marked  advantage.  Doct.  Kmmons,  our  State  Geoloaist,  havincin  charge  the  volumes  on  Aitriculture, 
stated  to  me  that  he  considered  these  leached  ashes  I'ar  more  valuable  by  bulk  than  a  rich  marl  (accessible 
to  me)  containing  W  j)er  cent  of  carbonate  of  lime. 

5  This  word  ("reclaim")  has  a  provincial  signification  throughout  the  North,  when  a|>plied  to  land.  It 
means  "  to  render  pi  odurtive."  t.'nlike  the  words  "fertilize."  "  enrich. "  eir.,  it  implies  iV/^rcc.  as  wi-ll  aa 
nanntr.  To  ••  reclaim  "land,  therefore,  is  to  fertilize  or  enrich  it  to  such  a  decree  thai  ii  will  yield  fair 
crops.  I  shall  use  the  word  both  as  a  verb  and  a  nouu,  to  avoid  the  circumlocution  otherwise  necessary 
to  express  this  idea. 


68  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

whole  Tertiary  formation,  or  at  least  that  portion  of  it  extending  through 
the  Atlantic  States.  The  second  is  the  swamp  mud,  which,  rich  with  the 
alluvial  deposition  of  ages,  fills  nearly  every  depression  of  the  surface  ca 
pable  of  retaining  water,  in  the  whole  tide-water  zone. 

Mr.  Ruffin  recommends  the  former  as  the  best  and  most  attainable  fer- 
tilizer on  both  of  the  classes  of  soils  under  examination.  He  seems  to 
think  it  adequate,  of  itself,  to  their  full  and  permanent  amelioration.  I  do 
not  desire  a  word  which  I  shall  say  to  bear,  or  even  seem  to  bear,  a  con- 
troversial tone  toward  the  views  of  this  ardent  and  enlightened  friend  of 
Southern  Agriculture.  In  expressing  my  dissent  from  them,  my  limits 
and  the  occasion  only  permit  me  to  allude  to  a  few  well-settled  principles 
and  facts  on  which  I  have  based  my  opinions.  Lime  acts  mechanically 
and  chemically  on  soils.  It  stiffens  loose  and  opens  clayey  ones.  It  is, 
to  a  certain  extent,  one  of  the  necessary  constituejits  of  plants  ;  it  neutral- 
izes acid  substances  in  the  soil ;  it  forms  compounds,  and  promotes  the 
dissolution  of  existing  ones,  to  prepare  suitable  food  for  plants  ;  and  some- 
times produces  certain  other  minor  beneficial  effects.  But  its  great,  its 
chief  object,  is  to  produce  the  food  of  plants  by  its  chemical  action  on  the 
organic  matter  in  the  soil.     Hence,  says  Johnston  : 

"  Lime  has  little  or  no  effect  upon  soils  in  which  organic  matter  is  deficient;"  and  he  far- 
ther  says :  "  Under  the  influence  of  lime  the  organic  matter  disappears  more  rapidly  than  it 
otherwise  would  do,  and  that  after  it  has  thus  disappeared,  fresh  additions  of  lime  produce 
no  farther  good  effect ;  ...  it  causes  the  organic  matter  itself  ultimately  to  disappear." 

"  It  is  scarcely  practicable,"  says  Brown,  '  to  restore  fertility  to  land  even  of  the  best 
natural  quality,  which  has  been  thus  abused ;  and  thin  moorish  soils,  after  being  exhausted 
by  lime,  are  not  to  be  restored." 

"  An  overdose  of  shell  marl,"  says  Lord  Kaimes,  "  laid  perhaps  an  inch  thick,  produces 
for  a  time  large  crops,  but  at  last  renders  the  soil  capable  of  bearing  neither  com  (gi-ain)  nor 
grass,  of  which  there  are  many  examples  in  Scotland."  "  The  same,"  continues  Johnston, 
"  is  true  of  lime  in  any  fonn.  The  increased  fertility  continues  as  long  as  there  remains  an 
adequate  supply  .of  organic  (animal  and  vegetable)  matter  in  the  soil ;  but  as  that  disappears, 
the  crops  every  year  diminish  both  in  quantity  and  in  quality." 

"  On  poor  arable  lands,  whicli  are  not  naturally  so,  but  which  are  worn  out  or  exhausted 
by  repeated  limmg  and  cropping,  lime  produces  no  good  whatever."  (Anderson,  Brown, 
Morton.)* 

Let  us  now  turn  to  the  opinions  of  some  of  the  most  eminent  European 
Continental  writers.  The  celebrated  Thaer  in  his  "  Principles  of  Agricul- 
ture "  (Section  IV.  Part  I.)  says : 

"  On  no  soils  are  the  effects  of  lime  so  beneficial  as  on  those  which  contain  a  great  quan- 
tity of  sour  humus  prejudicial  to  vegetation,  or  on  those  wliich  have  been  supplied  more  or 
less  abundantly  with  animal  manure  tor  a  considerable  period,  without  receiving  an  appli- 
cation of  lime,  or  some  other  substance  of  a  similar  natm-e.  Li  the  latter  case  it  is  frequently- 
much  more  efficacious  than  an  amelioration  of  stable  manure  would  be  ;  but  it  soon  impov- 
erishes the  soil  so  much  that  in  a  few  years  it  becomes  indispensably  necessary  to  manure  it 
abundantly  with  lich  animal  or  vegetable  matters.  As  some  portion  of  the  humus,  al- 
though in  all  probability  of  an  insoluble  namre,  always  remains  in  arable  land  even  when  it 
appears  to  be  much  exhausted,  it  of  course  follows  that  an  application  of  lime  will  idways 
be  productive  of  very  marked  effects  even  on  the  poorest  soils,  because  it  v^all  call  into  ac- 
tion all  the  nutritive  particles  which  they  contain.  A  second  amendment  of  a  similar  nature 
bestowed  shortly  after  the  first,  will  be  productive  of  some,  although  in  general  of  much  less 
benefit ;  and  the  effect  of  each  subsequent  amelioration  of  this  nature  will  be  progressively 
diminished  unless  the  soil  receives  an  additional  supply  of  humus.  .  .  .  The  effect  pro- 
duced by  lime  on  land  of  this  nature  (reclaimed  bogs  and  marshes)  is  much  more  beneficial 
and  durable  than  that  of  any  other  manure.  On  the  other  hand,  repeated  ameliorations  of 
lime  will  soon  totally  exhaust  and  impoverish  poor  and  sandy  soils,  and  reduce  them  to  ab- 
solute sterility,  even  though  each  separate  application  seems  to  bo  productive  of  some  good 
effect.  .  .  .  Many  persons  who  have  not  rightly  comprehended  the  cause  of  the  effects 
produced  by  lime,  prefer  it  to  manure,  and  have  believed  in  the  possibiUty  of  doing  entirely 
without  the  latter  ;  but  the  total  exhaustion  of  the  soil  which  such  a  course  of  proceeding 
must  sooner  or  later  produce,  caused  them  to  fly  to  the  opposite  extreme.     .     .     .     An  en- 

*  See  Johnston's  Agricultural  Chemistry,  vol.  IL  p.  139-142. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  69 

Hghtenetl  and  scientific  agriculturist  will  soon  perceive  that  tlie  use  of  lime  can  never  super 
eeile  tiiat  of  dung,  but  that  it  rcndci-a  this  kind  of  manure  more  energetic  in  its  action.   .   .  . 

In  miuiy  places  where  its  ameliorating  etVects  wei-e  known  and  ai)|)reciatcd.  manv  agricul- 
tm'ists  have  calculated  that  marl  woidd  prove  a  cheapfT  manure  than  stahle  dung  ;  and 
have,  consequently,  determined  to  do  without  the  latter  altogether  ;  and,  therefore,  have 
diminished  their  stock  of  cattle,  and  solil  their  hay  and  straw.  It  may  easily  he  imagined 
that  as  soon  as  the  chemicid  eHects  of  the  marl  ceased  to  operate,  as  nmst  be  tlie  case  when 
the  land  no  longer  contained  undecomposed  or  insolul)le  substances,  the  soil  became  sterile, 
and  a  second  marling  was  incapable  of  pruducijig  auy  beneficial  efl'ecls,  there  being  no  hu- 
mus for  it  to  act  upon.'' 

Petzholdt,  in  his  "  Lectures  to  Farmers  on  Agiicultural  Chemistry," 
(Lecture  XV'IL)  says: 

"  Quick-lime  greatly  accelerates  the  decomposition  of  humns,  whether  of  animal  or  vege 
table  origin,  inducing  a  more  speedy  liberation  of  its  salts  than  would  otherwise  take  place. 
This  is  the  reason  quick-lime  has  proved  so  advantageous  in  tlie  cultivation  of  bogs ;  the 
lime  not  only  accelerates  the  decomposition  of  the  humus,  but  it  may  be  said  altogether  to 
be  the  cause  of  tlie  decay  of  humus,  which,  as  it  exists  in  jieat,  is  scarcely  by  itself  under- 
going the  piTicess  at  all.  .  .  .  ^Vhere  there  is  neither  humus  in  the  soil,  nor  undecom- 
posed  silicates,  the  application  of  lime  as  manure  will  be  useless.  ...  So  much,  how- 
ever, is  deducible  from  all  experience,  that  the  mere  application  of  marl  to  an  exhausted  soil 
is  of  no  use  whatever,  unless  it  is  carried  on  the  field  m  such  quantities  as  to  constitute  a 
new  soil,  covering  the  whole  surface  to  the  depth  of  a  foot.  ...  In  a  chemical  point  of 
view,  marl  is  not  of  any  value  except  where  the  soil  requires  a  supply  of  lime.  .  .  The 
other  mineral  constilueuts  of  miu'l  are  far  too  inconsiderable  in  amount  to  be  reckoned  upon." 

Chaptal,  in  his  "  Chemistry  applied  to  Agriculture,"  (Chap,  iii..  Art.  2,) 
thus  expresses  himself: 

"  It  is  acknowledged  that  lime  is  principally  useful  upon  fallow  lands  which  are  broken 
up ;  upon  grass  lands,  whether  natural  or  artificial,  w-hicli  are  prepared  for  cultivation :  and 
ujion  muddy  lands,  which  are  to  be  put  into  a  fit  state  for  culture.  It  is  well  known  that  in 
all  these  cases  there  exists  in  the  land  a  gi'eater  or  less  quantity  of  roots,  which,  by  the  ap- 
plication of  lime,  may  be  made  to  serve  more  immediately  for  manure,  by  the  solubility  it 
wiU  give  to  the  new  products  formed  by  them.  .  .  .  Independently  of  this  effect,  which, 
in  my  opinion,  is  the  most  important,  lime  exei'cises  other  powers,  which  make  it  a  very 
valuable  agent  in  Agricultme." 

These  authorities  might  be  multiplied  ad  wfinitum. 

On  the  alternately  too  loose  or  too  hard  soils  of  the  dry  and  barren  lands 
of  the  tide-water  zone,  lime  would  doubtless  have  two  salutary  effects — 
the  mechanical  one  already  noticed,  and  it  would  furnish  one  necessary 
food  of  plants.  But  of  its  power  to  render  these  soils,  or  the  exhausted 
ones  of  the  middle  zone,  anything  more  than  transiently  fertile,  there  is  no 
probability,  if  they  arc,  as  I  suppose  them  to  be,  generally  rather,  and 
sometimes  verj',  destitute  of  organic  matter.  This  destitution  I  infer  from 
ocular  examination  ;*  also  from  the  fact  that  they  are  covered  with  little 
vegetation,  with  the  exception  of  the  long-leaf  pine,  to  produce  by  its  an- 
nual decay  a  store  of  organic  matter;  and,  finally,  if  this  organic  matter 
existed  in  these  soils  in  any  considerable  quantity,  tliey  would  not  he  ster- 
ile. They  probably  possess  the  ordinary  inorganic  constituents  of  diy 
Tertiary  and  granitic  soils,  and  no  properties  directly  deleterious  to  vege- 
tation. Organic  matter,  then,  in  my  judgment,  is  what  they  principally 
stand  in  need  of  to  render  them  fertile.  Now,  by  applying  lime  to  them, 
it  would  undoubtedly  do  good  in  two  ways,  as  before  admitted ;  but  the 
considerable  temporaiy  apparent  amelioration,  as  evinced  in  some  instances 
by  the  increased  growth  of  vegetation,  is  factitious,  for  the  lime  is  only  act- 
ing with  and  exhausting  the  little  organic  matter  in  the  soil,  to  leave  it  to 
greater  eventual  sterility.  Hence  the  saying  that  "  lime  enriches  the  father 
but  impoverishes  the  son,"  is  a  true  one  wlien  the  lime  is  applied  to  soils 
possessing  but  a  small  proportion  of  organic  matter.     On  such,  lime  soon 

*  I  hare  seen  no  aaalysea  of  tbeie  toils,  and  mean  therefore  aa  I  aay,  aimply,  examination  by  ti>e  eye. 


70  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

leads  to  exhaustion,  unless  organic  matter  is  added  to  the  soil  in  proportion 
to  the  vjaste.  The  theoretical  and  practical  considerations  which  should 
govern  in  the  application  of  this  fertilizer  to  soils  aj'e  discussed  more  fully 
and,  in  my  judgment,  more  ably  by  Johnston,  in  his  Agricultural  Chem- 
istry, than  by  any  other  writer.     To  him  I  take  the  liberty  to  refer  you. 

Marl  raised  from  pits,  as  it  must  necessarily  be  (except  when  denuded, 
or  cut  through,  on  the  beds  of  streams,  &c.)  where  it  occurs  only  as  an 
under-stratum  in  a  flat  counti-y — where  the  pits,  too,  often  require  ma- 
chinery, or  much  manual  labor,  to  keep  them  free  from  water  while  work- 
incT — must  be  an  expensive  manure.  From  its  tendency  to  sink  in  the  soil 
it  is  not  so  permanent  a  one  as  would  naturally  be  expected.  On  reclaimed 
swamp  lands — as,  for  examjjle,  on  the  rice  lands — abounding  in  vegetable 
matter,  it  will  be  found  a  most  efficacious  manure,  and,  when  needed,  will 
repay  the  necessary  outlay  ;  but  I  fear  it  will  be  found  otherwise  ultimate- 
ly, if  not  immediately,  on  the  barren  sands  and  exhausted  granite  soils  of 
the  South.  Applied  ivith  swamp  mud,  it  would  constitute  a  fertilizer 
scarcely,  perhaps,  admitting  of  a  superior,  even  on  the  latter  soils.  In 
their  single  effects,  however,  I  cannot  but  believe  that  the  best  swamp  mud 
— that  which  is  black  and  fetid  by  the  long  continued  accumulation  of  or- 
ganic substances  (and  especially  if  charged  with  shells,  and  the  shields  of 
Infusoria) — would  be  worth  inore  per  load  than  the  richest  marl.  The 
mud,  too,  should  be  considerably  cheaper  than  the  marl,  no  deep  excava- 
tions being  required  to  obtain  it.*  Digging  and  draught,  and,  in  the  case 
of  the  mud,  draught  alone,  would  render  both  decidedly  expensive  ma- 
nures, relatively  to  the  value  of  the  land  after  being  ameliorated  by  them, 
even  assuming  that  amelioration  to  be  complete  and  permanent.  On  lands 
immediately  contiguous  to  conveniently  reached  depositions  of  mud  or 
marl,  on  a  scale  so  limited  that  it  could  be  carried  on  at  spare  intervals 
without  encroaching  on  the  regular  routine  of  plantation  labor,  it  might 
be  good  economy  to  haul  out  mud  and  marl,  and  thus  gradually  reclaim 
email  pieces  of  land.t  It  certainly  would  be  better  economy  than  to  waste 
those  intervals  in  idleness.  But  in  anything  like  an  extended  and  speedy 
system  of  reclamation — the  fertilization  of  thirty,  forty  or  fifty  acres  per 
annum,  instead  of  one,  two  or  three — the  means  above  adverted  to  are,  in 
my  humble  judgment,  utterly  out  of  the  question.  The  labor  would  ab- 
sorb all  the  labor  of  man  and  beast  on  the  plantation  ;  and  it  is  exceedingly 
questionable,  in  my  mind,  whether  the  land,  when  fertilized,  would  sell  for 
the  cost  of  the  manure. 

Hard  would  it  be  for  many  a  South  Carolinian  or  Virginian  to  turn  his 
back  on  the  Lares  and  Penates  of  his  race — forgetting  many  a  proud  local 
and  ancestral  association — but  as  a  question  of  dollars  and  cents,  some- 
times a  necessary  one,  and,  at  all  events,  usually  the  paramount  one,  I 
think  it  past  a  reasonable  doubt  that  it  would  be  better  economy  to  de- 
sert the  worn-out  or  naturally  barren  soils  of  our  South-eastern  coast,  and 
purchase  the  virgin  and  fertile  lands  of  the  South-west  (even  including 
the  extra  expense  of  building  and  fencing),  than  to  attempt  to  reclaim  the 
former  by  means  so  expensive  as  those  above  indicated. 

What,  then,  is  the  resort  ?  Are  there  any  means  by  which  those  lands 
can  be  profitahhj  reclaimed  ]  I  answer.  Yes  ;  and  the  resort  is  a  mixed 
system  of  gi-een  and  animal  manuring — tlie  latter  made  attainable  by  sheep 
husbandry.     Experience  is  the  best  test  of  all  theories.    And  we  have  had 

*  I  am  inclined  to  think,  however,  that  this  mud,  if  spread  directly  on  the  surface,  would  contaminate 
the  atmosphere  with  unhealthy  miasma,  generating  agues  aud  bilious  diseases.  If  so,  it  would  require  in- 
corporation with  the  soil,  by  plowing. 

t  It  seems  to  me,  however,  that  these  expensive  manures  would  be  more  profitably  applied  in  keeping 
v.p  the  fertility  of  the  best  lands,  or  as  assistants  to  other  and  cheaper  means  of  reclaiming  the  poor  ones. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  71 


BO  little  experience  in  tlie  jirernises,  in  our  own  country,  let  us  turn  to  that 
of  the  first  a<jricuhural  nation  of  the  OKI  World.  There  is  no  foreie^n  na- 
tion where  so  hii^h  a  degree  of  intellij^ence  is  hrought  to  bear  on  larming 
operations — where  cause  and  effect  are  so  carefully  studied  and  accurately 
noted — as  in  England.  This  care  and  accuracy  are  indispensably  neces- 
sary in  a  country  where  high  rent  and  heavy  taxation  render  good  farming 
or  bankruptcy  unavoidable  counter-alternations  to  the  agriculturist.  Pre- 
vailing conclusions  among  such  a  class  of  agiiculturists — unihaputcd  con- 
clusions, too — are  assuredly  entitled  to  great  respect,  and  may  almost  be 
regarded  as  settled  facts.  Now  the  farmei-s  of  England  are  perfectly  fa- 
miliar with  eyery  kind  of  manure  accessible  to  our  Southern  farmers,  un- 
less it  be  swamp  mud  and  cotton  seed.  Lime,  for  example,  is  plentiful 
and  cheap,  and  is  much  used  in  Agriculture  all  over  the  kingd(mi.  If 
either  this,  or  any  of  the  manures  of  commerce,  were  considered,  of  them- 
selves, economical  fertilizers  of  the  poor,  sandy  f)r  light  ujdand  soils  of 
England,  there  is  no  country  in  the  world  where  they  are  more  j)lentiful, 
and,  when  the  use  of  the  soil  and  the  price  of  products  are  taken  into  con- 
sideration, more  cheap. 

What  the  settled  conclusions  of  the  English  farmers  are,  in  relation  to 
the  profitable  amelioration  of  those  soils,  will  be  seen  from  the  following 
undisputed  testimony  of  some  of  the  most  eminent  and  respectable  of  them, 
taken  before  the  Committee  of  the  House  of  Lords,  charged  with  the  in- 
quiry into  the  state  of  the  wool  trade,  &c.  in  Great  Britain,  in  1828,  from 
which  I  have  so  freely  quoted  in  preceding  Letters. 

Mr.  Wir.i.iAM  PiNKNET,  Salisbury  Plain:  Land  such  as  I  occupy  could  not  be  main 
tained  without  the  aid  of  sheep.  .  .  .  The  sheep  are  our  principal  dependence  for  8up» 
porting  our  crops  ;  indeed,  I  could  not  occupy  my  farm  ■without  my  flock. 

Mr.  John  Ellman,  Jr.,  Sussex  :  I  do  not  consider  it  possible  for  the  light  lands  upon 
the  Downs  to  be  kept  in  cultivation  without  flocks.  I  could  not  keep  the  fiirm  I  now  hold 
without  sheep.     .     .  On  the  South  Downs  the  wool  must  be  giown.  let  the  price  bo 

what  it  wiU. 

Mr.  Francis  Hale,  Alrin^ham,  Sj/Jfolk :  The  description  of  land  I  occupy  could  not  be 
kept  in  cultivation  without  the  aid  of  sheep. 

Mr.  Henrt  King,  Chilmnrk,  Wiltshire  :  The  size  of  my  farm  is  about  4,000  acres.  I 
clip  annuidly  about  6,500  South-Downi  sheep.  .  .  .  Such  lands  as  I  occupy  cannot  be 
kept  in  cultivation  without  the  aid  of  sheep. 

^Ir.  John  Woolledge,  nrar  Bury  St.  Edmunds,  S'lffolk:  An  estate  near  the  above 
place  contains  8,890  acres,  let  to  tenants,  and  consists  principally  of  poor  sandy  and  gravelly 
land,  the  produce  of  which  in  grain  is  very  precarious,  amounting  in  dry  summers  to  little 
or  nothing.  The  occupiers,  therefore,  depend  almost  entirely  on  their  flocks  of  sheep  for  the 
pajTiicnt  of  their  rents  and  the  employment  and  support  of  the  population.  ...  I  am 
of  opinion  that  two-thirds  of  the  counties  of  Suffolk  and  Ts'orfolk  may  be  comprehended  in 
the  sheep  districts,  and  that  they  produce  two  pounds  and  a  half  of  wool,  and  three-fourths 
of  a  lamb,  to  the  acre,  upon  an  average.  .  .  .  The  produce  of  the  land  depends  materi- 
ally upon  the  folding  system ;  there  is  not  sufficient  straw  for  manure  without  the  assistance 
of  sheep. 

Mr.  \\ili.iam  Ii.ott,  Abbey  Milton,  Dorsetshire  :  I  calculate  the  annual  growth  of  wool 
in  Dorsetshire  at  10.000  packs  of  24G  lbs.  each.  It  is  estimated  .  .  .  that  800.000  sheep,  or 
one  sheep  and  one-seventh  per  acre,  .  .  .  are  kept  in  this  county.  A  considemble  piu-t  of 
the  county  of  Dorset  is  composed  of  light  lands,  and  can  only  be  kept  in  tillage  by  the  aid 
of  sheep. 

C.  C.  Western,  Esq. :  It  is  utterly  impossible  that  the  Down  Districts  can  be  cultivnted 
to  advantage  without  sheep.    We  never  fold  our  Merino  or  other  .sheep ;  the  land  is  too  wet. 

Lord  Napier  :  If  we  had  not  sheep  upon  our  lands  (the  highlands  of  Scotland),  it  would 
become  the  habitation  of  foxes  and  snipes,  and  return  to  waste ;  it  would  produce  nothing 
but  grouse  and  wild  game  of  different  sorts. 

Is  it  asked,  AVhy  are  sheep  preferred  to  homed  cattle  1  Many  of  the 
reasons  are  given  in  my  preceding  Letter.  Then,  again,  the  scanty  and 
short  pasturage  of  light  lands,  on  which  sheep  will  thrive,  will  not  afford 
sufficient  "  bite"  (as  it  is  provincially  termed  in  the  Northern  States)  to 


72  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

profitably  carry  large  stock.  And,  finally,  there  seems  to  be  a  settled  con- 
viction among  tlie  English  fanners  that  sheep  give  a  better  return  for  the 
food  consumed,  and  therefore  better  repay  the  extraordinary  expenditure 
necessary  to  bring  poor  lands  in  a  fit  state  for  the  plow,  than  any  other 
animal.  In  an  able  essay  in  the  London  "Plough"  (June,  1846),  the  fol- 
lowing remarks  occur,  which  may  be  probably  regarded  as  an  expression 
of  the  prevailing  opinion  in  England : 

"  It  is  justly  admitted  that,  of  all  the  domestic  animals  reared  and  fed  for  profit  in  Great 
Britain,  sheep  are  of  the  greatest  consequence,  both  individually  and  in  a  national  point  of 
view,  and  afford  a  better  return  than  can  be  obtained  either  from  the  rearing  or  feeding  of 
cattle  ;  the  very  fleece  shorn  annually  from  their  backs  is  worthy  of  consideration.  .  .  . 
Shee[)  husbandry  deserves  to  be  esteemed  in  all  its  different  branches,  and  claims  the  prior- 
ity of  consideration  among  agricultiurists."* 

The  manner  in  which  the  "  very  fleece"  is  here  spoken  of,  shows  that 
wool  occupies  but  a  mere  subsidiary  place  in  making  up  the  profits  of 
English  sheep  husbandry.  I  know  many  intelligent  and  experienced  fai'm- 
ers  in  this  country  who  think  sheep  feeding  more  profitable,  or  equally 
profitable,  with  cattle  feeding,  leaving  the  wool  out  of  the  account.t 

The  experience  of  the  English  farmers  accords  with  that  of  those  of  our 
own  Nortliern  and  Eastern  States,  in  relation  to  the  superior  advantages 
of  sheep  husbandry  on  poor  and  light  soils.  Observation  has  shown  both 
that  such  soils  do  not  profitably  carry  bullocks  or  other  large  animals,  and 
that  such  animals  are  poorer  manurers  than  sheep.  But  their  methods  of 
availing  themselves  of  the  advantages  of  this  husbandry  are  entirely  dis- 
similar. The  English  farmer  finds  mutton  and  grain  the  marketable  pro- 
ducts which  pay  best.  The  first  returns  a  profit  on  the  crop  (turnips) 
which  produces  it,  and  at  the  same  time  fits  the  land  for  the  latter.  The 
high  price  and  ready  sale  of  mutton  allows  the  English  farmer  to  force  the 
growth  of  turnips  on  poor  soils,  by  the  application  of  highly  condensed 
manures.|  In  the  fall  the  sheep  are  turned  upon  small  patches  of  them, 
surrounded  by  an  inclosure  of  hurdles.  The  turnips  are  drawn,  sliced,  and 
laid  in  troughs  for  the  sheep.  When  one  patch  is  consumed,  the  hurdles 
are  removed,  and  thus  the  field  is  gradually  passed  over — the  sheep  con- 
verting the  whole  crop  into  animal  products  and  manure.  The  land  is 
then  plowed  for  grain,  and  a  succession  of  ci'ops  are  taken  from  it.  By 
this  means  the  land  is  soon  reduced  to  its  former  level,  and  the  same  sys- 
tem is  again  entered  upon. 


*  After  reading  this  and  the  preceding  testimony,  one  cannot  look  back  without  a  smile  on  the  nnac- 
countable  monomania  of  that  excellent  man  and  public  benefactor,  Col.  John  Taylor,  in  relation  to  sheep. 
In  one  ot'  the  essays  of  "Arator,"  he  says: 

"  My  conclusions  are  that  they  require  and  consume  far  more  food,  in  proportion  to  their  size,  than  any 
other  stock  ;  that  they  are  more  lialile  to  disease  and  death  ;  and  that  they  cannot  be  made  a  profitable  ob- 
ject throughout  the  whole  extent  of  the  warm,  dry  climate  and  sandy  soil  of  the  United  States,  but  by  ban- 
ishing tillage  from  vast  tracts  of  country."  .  .  .  '•  It  is  probable  that  the  hot  constitution  of  sheep  pro- 
duces a  rapid  digestion,  and  that  insiitialjle  appetite,  by  which  the  fact  is  accounted  for  of  their  flourishing 
only,  to  any  extent,  in  fine  meadows  or  extensive  wildernesses.  If  this  voraciousness  is  not  gratitied,  the 
animal  perishes  or  dwindles  ;  if  it  is.  he  depopulates  the  country  he  inhabits.  The  sheep  of  ;<pain  have 
kept  out  of  existence,  or  sent  out  of  it,  more  people  than  the  wild  beasts  of  the  earth  have  destroyed  from 
the  creation  ;  and  those  of  England  may  have  caused  a  greater  depopulation  than  all  her  extravagant  wars. 
It  may  be  owing  to  this  animal,  the  independence  of  one  country  is  almost  overthrown,  and  of  the  other 
tottering."  (!  !  I)  He  farther  expresses  the  opinion  that  England,  "  by  the  help  of  her  moisture  and  verdure, 
can  raise  wool  cheaper  than  the  United  States."  (I) 

It  would  appear  that  Col.  Taylor  formed  all  his  conclusions  on  a  small  flock  kept  by  himself  They  may 
have  been  a  bad  and  unthrifty  flock.  But  it  is  strongly  probable  that  he  was  inthicnced  by  deep-rooted 
prejudices,  imliibed  before  his  judgment  was  ripened,  or  his  experience  formed  ;  and  that  these,  unknown 
to  himself,  warped  all  his  views.  I  can  account  in  no  other  way  for  the  evident  and  palpable  hallucination 
under  which  he  made  nearly  every  statement  in  his  Chapter  on  Sheep. 

t  A  gentleman  who  has  been  one  of  the  most  successful  fecd(n-s  of  cattle  and  sheeii  in  this  State  (P.  N. 
Rust,  Esq.  of  Syracuse)  recently  remarked  to  me  in  conversation  that  he  had  invariably  found  that  sheep 
paid  better  for  feeding  than  cattle. 

J  Bone-dust,  and  frequently  guano  or  some  other  manure  with  it,  is  drilled  in  with  the  turnip  seed,  so 
that  much  cost  is  obviated  by  making  a  little  go  a  great  ways  ;  and  there  is  a  remarkable  congeniality  in 
tho  climate  and  atmosphere  of  England  to  the  growth  of  this  root. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  73' 


In  the  United  States,  much  of  this  system  would  be  inapplicable  and 
unproHtable.  Here  wool,  instead  of  mutton,  is  the  j)iincipal  olijcct.  Even 
in  the  Southern  States,  where  tlie  eliniate  would  render  the  English  sys- 
tem practicable,  the  expense  of  producing  eith(?r  of  these  articles,  V)y  win- 
ter turnip  feeding  and  folding,  would  add  so  much  to  its  cost  that  it  coidd 
not  profitably  competes  with  tliat  grown  in  the  ordinary  manner.  The 
same  remark  applies  to  the  relative  expense  of  the  two  systems  of  manur- 
ing. A  constant  repletion  of  rich  succulent  food,  like  turnips,  would  sen- 
sibly increase  the  amount  of  manure,  and,  by  folding,  it  would  be  more 
evenly  distril)uted.  JJut  neither  of  these  considerations  would  begin  to 
offset  against  the  increased  expense,  in  a  country  where  good  lands  are  so 
cheap  and  bread-stufts  so  low.  Besides,  no  good,  but,  on  the  other  hand, 
positive  injury,  would  result  from  thus  anuunWy  J'attc?iing  "store"*  sheep, 
kept  for  the  production  of  wool  and  for  breeding.t 

The  system  of  improving  poor  lands  in  the  Northern  and  Eastern  States 
by  sheep  husbandry,  is  mainly  by  sunmier  pasturage.  The  droppings  of 
the  sheep  gradually  enrich  them,|  and  consequently  increase  their  herb- 
age. Thus,  in  a  few  years,  poor  and  scanty  pastures  are  converted  into 
rich,  productive  ones.  This  might  be  far  more  rapidly  done  by  giving 
these  pastures  also  the  winter  manure  of  the  sheep,  made  in  the  feeding 
yards.  But  it  is  generally  thought  more  profitable  to  give  the  winter  ma- 
nure to  the  richer  tillage  lands,  which  are  made  to  supply  the  grain  and 
hay  of  the  farm.  The  light  pasture  lands  are  thus  kept  permanently  in 
pasture,  or  are  only  plowed,  by  the  provident,  at  very  long  intervals.  This 
system  is  rendered  necessary,  or,  at  all  events,  convenient,  by  the  topo- 
graphical features  of  our  farms.  Here  the  pooi'er  and  lighter  are  generally 
the  higher  and  more  broken  lands,  which  are  less  convenient  of  aration, 
and  fur  the  hauling  on  of  manure,  or  the  hauling  off  of  crops. 

In  the  Southern  States,  on  lands  which  now  yield  even  a  smallish  sup- 
ply of  esculent  grasses,  the  northern  system  is  all  that  is  7iecc.ssarily  re- 
quired. Those  grasses  will  every  year  increase,  and  the  land  will  be  grad- 
ually fertilized,  by  the  droppings  of  the  sheep,  without  a  cent's  expendi- 
ture on  it  of  any  kind  ;  and  every  particle  of  herbage  will  be  tunied  to  its 
most  profitable  account,  by  being  converted  into  wool,  mutton  and  ma- 
nure. 

But  where  there  is  not  sufficient  existing  verdure  to  form  the  germ,  so 
to  speak,  of  a  future  good  pasture — or,  in  other  words,  to  support  a  suffi- 
cient number  of  sheep  to  convert  it,  within  a  leasonable  time,  info  good 
pasturage — some  other  course  must  be  adopted.  Proper  plowing  and 
seeding,  simply,  will,  I  have  not  a  doubt,  be  found  adequate  in  a  great 
many  instances  where  it  would  hardly  be  suspected.  It  is  very  natural  to 
take  it  for  granted  that  a  soil,  not  spontaneously  producing  the  grasses,  is 
not  fertile  enough  to  produce  them,  even  if  properly  sown  upon  it.  But 
experience  has  amply  demonstrated  the  contrary  in  several  of  the  North- 
western States.  There  are  various  causes,  besides  a  want  of  fertility, 
Avhich  may  produce  such  nudity ;  but  this  is  not  the  })lace  to  enter  upon 
speculations  on  this  topic.  Two  very  common  and  obvious  causes  are  loo 
great  looseness  or  compactness  of  the  surface,  which  prevents  seeds  from 
taking  root,  especially  in  a  dry,  hot  climate.    Plowing  would  always  loosen 


*  This  convenient  word  is  provincinlly  applied,  in  the  Northern  and  Kastem  .''tales,  to  sheep  and  pvvine 
■which  are  to  be  kept  over  the  year,  to  breed  from  (and  the  former  to  produce  wool),  as  contradistinguished 
from  those  which  are  fattening  for  slaughter. 

t  This  point  will  aeain  be  udvert<;d  to.  It  is  sufficient  now  to  say  that  breeding-ewes,  if  broueht  to  a  high 
state  of  fatness,  raise  fewer  lambs.  The  lambs  are  bom  weak,  and  arc  very  apt  to  perish.  There  are  alji« 
other  objections. 

X  Aided  by  aa  oocaiional  top^easiog  with  gypanm. 

K 


74  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

hard,  and  fi-equeiitly  stiffen  loose  surfaces.*  The  grass  seed  han'owed  into 
a  properly  prepared  soil,  at  the  suitable  season  of  the  year,  might  so  root 
itself  as  to  witlistaud  tlie  subsequent  heats,  while  those  dropped  on  a  hard 
or  a  loose  surface  by  birds,  or  borne  there  by  winds,  would  be  exposed 
directly  to  tlie  rays  of  the  sun,  which,  if  it  did  not  entirely  prevent  germ- 
ination, would  dry  up  and  kill  the  tender  I'oots  before  they  could  strike 
deep  enough  to  resist  its  influence.  Much  will  depend,  in  this  experi- 
ment, upon  a  proper  selection  of  the  variety  of  grass  sown.  That  variety 
should  be  sown  which  is  found  to  flourish  best  on  similar  soils,  in  the  same 
climate,  even  though  relatively  it  may  be  an  inferior  grass.t 

By  means  as  cheap  and  attainable  as  these,  I  have  not  a  doubt  that  no 
inconsiderable  portions  of  the  nearly  naked  soils  of  the  tide-wicter  zone 
might  be  brought  into  pasture  sufficiently  good  to  make  their  ultimate  con- 
version into  prime  pastures,  by  means  of  sheep  husoandry,  certain. 

On  the  worn-out  granite  soils  of  the  middle  region,  the  once  fertile  red 
clay  lands — now  occupied  only  by  dwarf  pines,  worthless  broom-grass,  etc! 
— deej)  plowing  and  thoi'ough  sowing  (with  the  aid  of  steeps  and  the  cheap 
top-dressing,  before  adverted  to)  would  ge,nerally,  I  believe,  bring  these 
lands  into  pretty  good  pasture.  These  soils,  having  been  subjected  only 
to  the  one-horse  plow,  and  hand  tillage,  are  tvorn  out  only  on  the  svrface. 
This  is  proved,  in  innumerable  instances,  in  Fairfax,  and  other  northern 
counties  of  Virginia.  Lands  considered  entirely  worn  out,  and  sold  for  a 
mere  trifle,  are  subjected  to  the  northern  two-horse  plow,  and  from  one  to 
three  inches  of  earth,  never  before  disturbed,  is  brought  to  the  surface, 
which  readily  supports  grass,  and  even  grain  crops — the  latter  tempora- 
rily. Thus,  most  fortunately,  the  means  are  still  left,  with  the  aid  of  pas- 
turage, to  make  many  of  these  lands  profitably  productive,  and  to  restore 
them  to  much  of  their  former  fertility. 

^.  We  come  now  to  another  class  of  lands  which  may,  in  many  cases,  be 
worth  reclaiming,  but  which  will  not,  by  merely  being  plowed  and  sown, 
produce  sufficient  giass  to  make  their  fertilization  by  sheep  husbandry  at- 
tainable— or  attainable  within  a  moderate  period  of  time.  These  are  the 
inferior  (but  not  the  worst)  sands  of  the  tide-water  zone.  Here  green 
manuring  must  be  resorted  to,  by  means  of  plants  which  will  better  with- 
stand the  climatic  and  other  difficulties  in  the  way  of  their  getting  well- 
rooted,  and  which  will  flourish  in  poorer  soils  than  the  grasses.  Both  of 
these  conditions  are  answered  by  various  plants.  Spurry  (  Spergula  arven- 
sis)  and  white  Lupins  ( Lupimis  albvs)  will  flourish  on  dry,  barren,  and 
even  shifting  sands,  and  are  extensively  used  as  green  manuring  crops  on 
such  soils,  on  the  Continent  of  Europe.  From  their  rapid  growth  and  ex- 
traordinary productiveness,  they  are  admirably  adapted  to  this  end.  The 
introduction  of  these  plants  would  probably  supply  an  important  desidera- 
tum in  Southern  Agriculture,  unless,  as  I  have  already  expressed  the  opin- 
ion,! the  pea  leaves  little  to  wish  for,  as  a  green  manuring  crop  on  every 
class  of  southern  soils.  Soaked  in  a  solution  of  nitr« — rolled  in  lime — top- 
dressed,  after  sprouting,  with  a  slight  sprinkling  of  ashes  and   gypsumjl — 


*  The  sands  of  the  tide-water  zone  are  everywhere,  at  greater  or  less  depths,  underlaid  by  clay.  These 
might  in  some  cases  be  reached  by  the  plow,  and  portions  of  them  incorporated  with  the  superincumbent 
soil. 

t  See  Letter  III.  %  In  Letter  III. 

11  Sprengcl's  analysis,  in  Letter  III.,  shows  the  larae  amount  of  potash  required  for  the  seed,  and  of  lime 
for  the  straw  of  the  pea.  The  favorable  effect  of  jjlaster  on  this,  as  on  most  other  leguminosa?,  is  well 
known.  Ashes,  plaster  and  lime  can  he  purchased  here  at  an  average  of  less  than  ten  cents  a  btishel.  A 
bushel  of  gypsum,  mixed  with  say  two  bushels  of  ashes,  makes  a  top-dressing  which  will  pay  for  itself  a 
number  of  times  over,  on  any  land  to  which  I  have  ever  seen  it  applied.  In  addition  to  rolling  the  seed  in 
lime,  a  few  bushels  of  it,  or  of  marl,  would  make  a  good,  and,  where  accessible  and  cheap,  an  economical 
top-dressing.  When  1  speak  of  tbe  price  of  lime  here,  I  do  not  refer  to  marl.  The  latter,  in  its  natural 
State,  could  be  purchased  at  the  beds  for  probably  a  shilling  a  load. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  76 

the  pea  would  probably  take  root  and  flourish  in  any  soil  which  the  price 
of  land  in  this  country  would  justify  an  effort  to  render  productive,  now, 
or  for  a  hmcf  term  of  years  to  come.  Indeed,  the  capacity  to  produce  this 
plant  mail  afford  the  best  practical  test  of  the  economy  and  expediency  of 
attempting  it  in  any  given  case.  If  a  good  green  manuring  crop  can  be 
made  to  grow  on  the  soil  without  any  more  expensive  aids  than  those 
above  suggested,  the  lever  of  improvement — cheap,  but  efiectual — is  placed 
in  the  hands  of  the  planter,  and,  if  he  possesses  the  least  degree  of  energy, 
he  has  no  occasion  to  seek  a  new  soil  and  home  by  emigration. 

Mr.  Ruffin  states,  if  I  remember  aright,  that  a  few  quarts  per  acre,  of 
peas,  ai'e  sown  by  the  Southern  planters.  In  the  North,  three  bushels,  at 
least,  are  sown;  and  this  quantity  would  be  little  enough  to  pioduce  the 
largest  amount  of  green  manure. 

Theory  would  indicate  that  the  crop  should  be  turned  under  before  it 
comes  into  full  flower,*  but  experience  and  convenience  both  deserve  con- 
sulting in  the  premises. 

An  active  span  of  hoi-ses,  with  a  Northern  two-horse  plow,  and  an  ex- 
pert plowman,  would  readily  plow  two  acres  per  diem,  on  sandy  soils,  and 
plow  it  well.t  The  expense  of  getting  in  a  crop  of  peas  can  then  be  read- 
ily estimated. 

If  one  crop  can  be  made  to  take  root  and  grow,  and  is  plowed  under 
iclien  green,  the  gi'cat  point  is  attained,  and  there  will  be  neither  difficulty 
nor  uncertainty  subsequently.  The  organic  matter  thus  deposited  in  the 
soil  is  the  basis  on  which  future  improvements  can  be  effected  ad  libitum. 
As  far  south  as  South  Carolina,  at  least  two,  and  probably  three  crops 
could  be  plowed  in  during  a  single  season.  This  might  be  done  in  time 
for  winter  grain,  and  a  crop  of  the  latter  soAvn  as  a  covering  crop  with 
grass  seeds.     The  grain  would  refund  much  of  the  previous  expense. 

Plowing  in  two  or  three  crops  in  succession  may,  at  first  view,  seem  an 
'  expensive  process ;  but,  with  the  exception  of  the  extra  seeding,  it  is  no 
more  labor  than  is  bestowed  on  every  wheat  crop  by  a  large  proportion  of 
the  farmers  of  Western  New-York !  When  the  ground  is  summer  fal- 
lowed, the  ordinary  practice  on  our  wheat  lands  is  to  have  it  three  times 
thoroughly  plowed  and  harrowed,  and  the  first  time  a  crop  of  clover  is 
plowed  in.  All  this  is  a  light  outlay  compared  with  thorough  marling,  or 
manuring  mth  swamp  mud.  And,  after  either  of  the  latter  processes,  the 
land  has  yet  to  be  plowed  and  seeded.| 

It  would  not  be  necessarj/  to  plow  in  as  many  as  fJirec  crops  of  peas,  to 
lay  the  foundation  of  ordinary  pasture.  Two,  and  possibly  one,  would 
suffice.  The  comparative  utility  of  forcing  forward  the  fertilization  of 
land,  rapidly  or  gracKially,  depends  much  upon  the  amount  of  capital  which 
the  landholder  has  to  devote  to  this  object.  The  amount  of  labor  subtract- 
ed from  the  ordinary  operations  of  the  plantation  would  be  very  small,  in 
any  case,  in  proportion  to  the  object  to  be  attained.  A  single  expert 
plowman,  with  a  good  team,  could  give  even  the  thi"ee  plowings  to  a  large 
field.ll 


*  "  Because  flower-leaves,"  says  Johnston,  "  give  off  nitroien  into  the  air;  and,  as  this  element  is  gup 
potjcd  especially  to  promote  the  growth  of  plants,  it  is  desirable  to  retain  as  much  of  it  in  the  plant  and  soil 
as  possible." — Ac.  Chem.,  vol.  ii.,  p.  18.5. 

t  Perhaps  more.    That  amount  is  frequently  exceeded  here,  on  stubble  lands. 

t  So  that  the  expense  to  be  otTsetted  against  one  of  those  processes  (in  estimating  their  comparatiTO 
economy  as  a  means  of  reclamation  with  preen  manuring)  is  plowing,  harrowing,  and  seeding  ticife. 

II  I  have  attempted  to  fix  no  definite  data  on  this  point,  because  you,  who  are  acquainted  with  plowing 
Southern  lands,  are  better  competent  to  do  so  I  would  remark,  in  this  connection,  that  my  convictiona 
are  very  strong  that  the  introduction  of  the  Iwo-horse  plow  of  the  North  would  lead  to  a  decided  imorove- 
ment  in  your  Acriculture,  from  the  superior  manner  in  which  it  does  its  work,  and  by  leading  to  neepCT 
plowing.  The  wheel  will  cause  it  to  ruo  as  shallow  as  a  one-horse  plow,  however,  where  the  cbarectcr  of 
the  foil  renders  it  desirable. 


76  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

Even  in  the  case  of  either  of  the  two  classes  of  soils  before  treated  of 
(those  now  producing  thinnish  pasturage,  or  which  can  be  converted  into 
pastures  simply  by  plowing  and  seeding),  one  or  more  green  manuring 
crops  would  form  a  most  excellent  and  accelerating  initiatory  step,  and, 
where  sufficient  capital  is  possessed,  I  have  no  doubt,  a  most  economical 
one,  toward  their  fertilization. 

In  view  of  all  my  preceding  statements,  do  you  ask  me  if  I  advocate 
sheep  husbandry  exclusively,  on  all  the  lands  at  the  South. which  already 
are,  or  should  be  devoted  to  grazing  1  Most  assuredly  not.  I  have  al- 
ready laid  it  down  as  a  maxim  that  "  agricultural  production  should  be 
controlled  by  the  demand  or  want,  and  the  adaptation  of  the  country  to 
such  production."  By  this  rule,  the  South  should,  at  least,  never  import  a 
horse,*  a  mule,  a  pound  of  beef,  pork,  butter,  cheese  or  wool.  She  iva?its 
them  all,  and  she  can  produce  them  all  mere  economically  than  she  can 
import  them.  That  declared  impossibility  in  politics,  an  m\j>ermm  in  im- 
perio,  should  be  in  Agriculture,  so  far  as  it  may  be  consistently  with  the 
above  maxim,  the  attitude  of  every  farm  and  plantation.  Each  should  be 
independent  to  the  greatest  economical  extent,  so  far  as  the  production  of 
the  necessaries,  comforts  and  luxuries  of  life  are  concerned,  of  every  other 
farm  or  plantation  in  the  world  !  This  mixed  and  multifarious  farming  is 
objected  to  by  theorists,  inasmuch  as  it  trenches  on  the  division  of  labor 
principle.  But  it  favors  rotation,  and  thereby  prevents  the  exhaustion  of 
soils — leads  to  a  more  bountiful  use  of  the  every-day  comforts  of  lifet — 
and,  finally,  it  is  less  hazardous.  The  one-crop  farmer,  if  crop  and  market 
are  both  in  their  most  favorable  state,  realises  gi'eat  profits.  But  if  the 
market  is  poor,  or  the  crop  small,  the  loss  is  proportionately  large.  The 
farmer  pursuing  mixed  husbandry  will  not  generally  fall  gi'eatly  behind 
the  hest  profits  of  the  other,  and  his  losses  are  rarely  considerable.  It  is 
better  to  play  for  a  hit  than  a  gammon,  where,  as  in  the  case  of  the  small 
capitalist,  affluence  or  penury  "stand  the  hazard  of  the  die  .'" 

If  the  above  positions  are  true,  the  South  is  called  upon  to  increase  the 
breeding  of  other  domestic  animals  as  well  as  sheep.  To  an  extent  suffi- 
cient to  supply  her  own  wants,  I  consider  her  imperiously  called  upon  so 
to  do.  I  advocate  the  breeding  of  sheep  specially — on  a  vastly  more  ex- 
tended scale — because,  as  has  been  already  shown,  they  are  the  best  (if 
not  the  only)  reclaimers  of  your  unproductive  lands ;  and  because  in  that 
surplus  of  the  products  of  grazing,  which  these  extensive  reclamations  will 
bring  about,  they  furnish  you  the  exporting\  article  (wool)  for  which  you 
can  find  the  largest  extra-limital  market,  and  in  growing  which  you  can  hest 
compete  with  other  producers. 

Let  us  suppose,  for  the  sake  of  the  argument,  that  these  newly  reclaimed 
pastui'e  lands  would  carry  heavy  beasts  as  well  as  sheep,  and  with  equal 
benefit  to  the  land.  After  supplying  the  home  demand,  what  would  be 
done  with  the  surplus  horses,  mules  and  beeves  %  To  what  markets  in  the 
world  could  you  export  horses  and  mules,  with  the  exception  of  some  of 
the  West  India  islands — the  markets  of  which  a  few  thousand  head  of 
these  animals  would  annually  glut  ]  Do  you  ask  me  what  would  prevent 
your  sending  your  surplus  beef  to  England  %  Nothing,  But  neitlier  the 
South,  nor  the  North,  nor  the  East,  can  compete  with  the  great  North-west 

*  Unless  for  the  improvement  of  breeds. 

t  I  mean  by  this  that  the  planter  who  raises  all  the  necessaries  of  life  will  be  more  liberal  of  them  than 
the  one  who  purchases  them. 

J  I  do  not  use  the  word  here  in  its  technical  sense.  I  mean  earned  beyond  mere  local  limits  for  sale — 
whether  that  sale  be  eSected  in  the  same  State,  in  some  other  part  of  the  U.  S.,  or  abroad. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THt  SOUTH.  77 

in  prcxlucinfj  beef  (or  pork*)  for  exportation  to  foreign  countries.  Its  im- 
mense natural  pastures — the  profusion  and  cheapness  with  which  Indian 
corn  can  he  produceil  on  its  virgin  soils — give  it  an  advantage  which  in- 
creased transportation  by  no  means  counterbalances.  The  question  then 
arises — Why,  for  tlie  same  reasons,  cannot  the  vast  Noith-westeni  plains 
produce  w<jol  more  cheaply  than  the  South,  and  undersell  her  in  our  own 
and  the  foreign  markets  I  In  the  first  place,  the  western  pastures — that 
is  to  say,  the  wild  or  natural  ones — wliich  produce  beef  so  cheaply,  are, 
by  reason  of  the  coarseness  and  i^ankness  of  their  verdure,  not  adapted  to 
t/ie  groicing  of  sJiecp.  Secondly,  the  shortness  and  mildness  of  the  south- 
ern winter  give  a  decided  advantage  in  wool  growing,  by  affording  green 
winter  feed — an  advantage  not  profitably  available  probably,  on  an  extend- 
ed scale,  with  large  grass-feeding  animals.  Again,  in  the  North-west, 
though  there  is  less  snow,  the  winter  is  about  as  long,  for  all  the  practical 
purposes  of  husbandly,  as  in  New-York.t  Killing  frosts  come  as  early  in 
autumn  ;  the  naked  ground  is  frozen  as  solidly,  and  far  more  deeply ;  and 
verdure  puts  fi>rth  but  little  if  any  earlier  in  the  spring.  The  South  then 
possesses  the  same  great  advantage  with  the  North-west  in  the  production 
of  wool — cheap  lands  ;  and,  superadded  to  this,  she  has  the  short,  mild 
winters,  which  give  her  a  decided  advantage  over  both  the  North  and 
North-west.  She  has  a  marked  advantage  over  the  Northern  and  Eastern 
States  in  both  particulars,  and,  instead  of  importing  manufactured  wools 
from  them,  she  •ught  to  supply  them,  by  export,  with  at  least  the  raw  ma- 
terial. And  she  will  do  this  at  no  distant  day,  unless  her  sons  are  content, 
in  the  great  struggle  and  battle  of  industrial  interests,  to  sacrifice  their 
o\NTi  by  apathy  or  irresolution. 

•  I  hare  not  alluded  to  the  rearing  of  svrine  any  more  fully,  as  they  are  but  partially  a  grazing  animaL 
— But  if  the  position  assumed  in  the  text  be  correct,  it  is  another  argument  in  fevor  of  devoting  your  lands 
to  the  production  of  surplus  wool,  instead  of  surplus  corn. 

t  The  winter  feeding  of  sheep  la  New  York  has  already  been  stated  to  average  about  oae  hundred  and 
fifty  days. 


« 


78  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


LETTER  VII. 

PROFITS  OF  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTHERN  STATES.— 3.  BY  GIV- 
ING TO  SOUTHERN  AGRICULTURE  A  MIXED  AND  CONVERTIBLE  CHAR- 
ACTER.—4.  BY  FURNISHING  THE  RAW  MATERIAL  FOR  THE  MANUFAC- 
TURE OF  DOMESTIC  WOOLENS. 


Expediency  of  Rotation  in  Crops...  Consequences  of  omitting  it  on  Wheat  Lands  of  New- York...  Mr.  Gay- 
lord's  ^^cws... Consequences  in  the  Southern  States.  ..Mr.  Roper's  Report  in  the  Legislature  of  South 
Carolina — [Cotton  Statistics  of  that  State — Comparison  with  other  States — General  Agricultural  Resources 
— necessity  of  new  staples].  ..Judge  Seabrook's  Report  to  the  State  Agricultural  Society  of  South  Caro- 
lina— [Agricultural  Statistics—  Remedies  proposed  for  present  "  distress"] . .  .Singular  omission  of  Wool  as 
one  of  the  proposed  new  Staples.  ..Southern  prejudice  on  this  subject — Causes.  ..Impropriety  of  the  one- 
crop  system — Diminishes  crops — Deteriorates  land — Multiplies  insects Fertility  sustained  by  Rotation — 

Causes. .."  Resting" — Its  inexpediency-  ..Some  of  the  Crops  of  every  Rotation  must  be  converted  mainly 
into  Manure — Superior  economy  of  converting  them  into  Animal  Manure — Sheep  the  most  protitable  ani- 
mals for  this  purpose.  ..Leading  principles  of  a  protitable  Southern  Rotation — Six-shift  Coiirse  proposed — 
Five-shift  Course — Six-shift  Course  for  poor  soils- ..Col.  Taylor's  Four-shift  Course — Objections.  ..Com- 
parative profit  of  gi-owing  Wool,  Cotton  and  Rice,  incidentally  alluded  to. .  .Economy  of  producing  the  raw 
material  for  the  Manufacture  of  Domestic  Woolens.  ..Cost  of  Slave  Cloths  per  head  per  year.  .'.Prices  now 
paid  for  these  Cloths — Cost  of  manufacturing  them — Data  for  estimating  such  cost. .  .Great  profits  of  Man- 
ufacturers in  the  Northern  States — Their  Dividends — Their  method  of  exchanging  Cloth  for  Wool — Work- 
ing Wool  at  the  halves.  ..Cost  of  Cloths  obtained  by  these  methods.  ..The  South  may  obtain  the  same  ad- 
vantages— Natural  Facilities — Cost  of  Machinery — On  wliat  terms  worked — Operations.  ..Cloths  spun  and 
wove  by  hand  cheaper  than  the  imported  ones — Cost  of  the  several  processes  of  manufacturing  them — 
Estimate  of  Cost  per  yard  at  the  North. ..Cost  of  establishing  Carding  and  Cloth-Dressing  Machinery... 
Home-made  Fabrics  diminishing  at  the  North — Causes..  .Same  Causes  will  not  operate  to  so  great  an  ex- 
tent at  the  South — Reasons..  .Probable  Cost  of  Home-made  Cloths,  South. 


Dear  Sir  :  The  third  gi'eat  benefit  claimed  by  me  among  the  profits  of 
sheep  husbandry  in  the  Southern  States  was,  "  its  comparative  efficacy  in 
giving  to  Southern  Agiiculture  a  mixed  and  convertible  character,  and 
thereby  sustaining  (or  improving)  all  the  present  good  tillage  lands,  in  the 
place  of  continuing  the  "  new  and  old  field"  system  (tilling  land  until  it  is 
worn  out,  then  abandoning  it  and  opening  new  lands),  once  so  general, 
and  even  now  by  far  too  prevalent." 

The  first  object  of  mixed  husbandry  has  been  ah'eady  stated — the  home 
supply  of  the  various  necessaries  of  life.  Its  second,  and  still  more  impor- 
tant one,  is  the  preservation  of  existing  fertility  in  all  soils  fit  for  tillage. — 
It  certainly  requires  no  proof  or  argument  to  demonstrate  the  superior  ex- 
pediency of  maintaining  the  fertility  of  soils,  if  it  can  be  done,  by  a  rota- 
tion of  crops,  even  though  each  of  these  crops  is  not,  separately  considered, 
the  one  which  would  yield  the  greatest  immediate  profit.  In  the  language 
of  the  hackneyed  aphorism,  it  is  never  expedient  to  "  kill  the  goose  which 
lays  golden  eggs." 

This  constant  cropping  with  one  plant  was  once  extensively  practiced 
on  the  wheat  lands  of  New-York,  as  many  of  their  present  owners  can 
bitterly  attest.  Even  now  there  can  be  no  doubt  that,  on  nearly  all  of 
them,  wheat  returns  too  often  in  the  rotation.  These  lands  were  once 
rapidly,  and  are  still,  I  fear,  slowly  declining  in  value ;  while  the  grazing 
lands  of  Southern  New-York,  where  men  have  been  compelled  to  be  more 
discreet,  have  been  constantly  improving  and  approximating  to  the  former 
in  market  value.* 


*  This  calls  to  mind  a  letter  which  I  received  from  an  old  and  valued  correspondent,  the  late  Willis  Gay. 
lord,  but  a  short  time  prior  to  his  death.  I  had  spoken  of  the  advantages  of  his  own,  the  wheat  region, 
over  the  grazing  region  ia  which  I  reside.    Mr.  G.  combated  this  idea.    He  thought  capital  invested  her* 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  79 

The  same  system  has  prevaik-d  on  the  rice,  tobacco,  and  cotton  lands  of 
the  South,  and  has,  for  a  variety  of  reasons  not  necessary  here  to  be  dis- 
cussed, been,  in  the  case  of  the  two  latter  at  least,  more  fatally  ])ersisted 
in.  I  have  already  alluded  to  the  exhaustion  of  your  soils  consecjuent  on 
this  course  of  culture,  but  to  show  the  wide  extent  of  the  evil — its  pecu- 
niary consequences  individually,  and  on  whole  States — the  now  admitted 
necessity  of  a  rotation  of  crops — the  eijually  conceded  necessity  of  intro- 
ducing some  new  staple,  or  staples,  to  render  the  other  crops  in  the  rota- 
tion, besides  cotton,  rice,  and  tobacco,  rcmvneraficc — and  various  other  con- 
siderations haviny;  a  stronj^  bearing  on  this  whole  question — I  (juote  the 
following  statements  from  Southern,  as  well  as  highly  authoritative  sources. 

The  Committee  on  Agriculture  of  the  House  of  Representatives  of  South 
Carolina,  through  their  Chairman,  Hon.  R.  W.  Roper,  made  a  Report  to 
that  body,  Dec.  14,  1842,  from  which  the  following  are  extracts  : 

"  Let  us  now  mm  our  considenition  to  one  other  f^eat  staple,  cotton,  of  which  the  statis- 
tics are  so  exact  that  we  can  ascertain  liy  calculation  wliat  our  i)rospects  are  as  re^rartls  com- 
petition in  tliat  .irticie.  Tiio  United  States  pro(Uice  at  present  ."378,012,473  lbs. — more  than 
one-lialf  the  crop  of  the  whole  world.  Soiuh  Caroluia  grows  of  this  43,927,171  Ihs.,  or  1-13 
part  of  the  quantity' ;  but  from  this  source  of  profit  her  pahny  days  are  past.  Every  year 
opens  new  lands  in  the  West,  where  congeniality  of  soil  and  climate  to  this  commodity  in- 
creases the  product  per  acre  far  beyond  what  can  be  reared  at  home,  and  consecjiienily  re- 
duces the  value  infinitely  below  the  costly  prices  which  fonnerly  enriched  Carolina.  These 
new  lands  produce,  on  an  average,  2,500  lbs.  of  cotton  per  hand,  while  the  lands  in  Carolina 
yield  but  1,200  lbs.,  and  the  expenses  of  a  laborer  being  about  equal  in  eitiier  jilace,  reduces 
the  Carolina  cotton  to  half  its  intrinsic  vidue.  We  have  also  tho  declaration  of  Mr.  Dixon  H. 
Lewis,  in  a  recent  s])eeth  ui  Congress,  that  cotton,  divested  of  Govenmieut  embarrassments, 
niii^ht  be  gro\\ni  in  Alabama  for  three  cents  a  pound. 

"Your  Committee  will  avail  itself  of  the  lucid  calculations  of  a  distinguished  and  talented 
individual,*  to  present  another  view  of  the  subject,  startling  in  its  details,  and  bearing  strong- 
ly on  the  propriety  of  summing  up  all  our  resources.  The  crop  of  the  world  amounts  to 
1,000.000,000  lbs.,  which  would  re^iuu-e,  at  the  rate  of  250  lbs.  per  acre,  4,000,000  of  acres 
to  grow  this  quantit)-.  Now,  the  four  States  bordering  on  the  coast  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico — 
\\z.,  Loui.-<iana,  Mississippi,  Alab,-ima  and  Florida — contain  130.000,000  of  acres;  proving 
thjit,  if  only  one  acre  in  32  were  fomul  capable  of  producing  250  lbs.  to  the  acre,  these  f)ur 
States  could,  alone,  supply  the  demand  of  all  the  markets  in  the  world.  In  this  calculation, 
the  produce  of  Georgia,  South  Carohna,  North  Carolina  and  Virginia,  with  portions  of  other 
States,  besides  150,000.000  acres  in  Texas,  are  entirely  excluded.  The  lands  of  the  Gulf 
States,  therefore,  and  Texas,  are  .<iufricient  to  supply  the  demands  of  the  world  in  all  lime  to 
come.     Where,  then,  is  the  hope  or  prospect  of  South  Carolina  in  the  competition  ?     .     .     . 

"  South  Carolina  comprises  within  her  borders  lfi,000,000  acres  of  land,  of  which  only 
1,300,000  are  cultivated.  Of  this,  cotton  occupies  175,700  acres  ;  rice,  80,000;  Indian  coni, 
500,000 ;  potiitoes.  22,612  ;  wheat,  24,079 — making  an  aggregate  of  about  o()(),000  acres  ;  the 
balance  of  500,000  are  tjiken  up  in  oats,  i-ye,  barley,  hay,  tobacco,  and  a  limited  jiortion  of 
other  articles  necessary  to  the  suppUes  of  life.     To  what  use,  then,  is  the  balance  of  our  ter- 


retumed  quite  as  good  or  better  profits,  than  on  the  wheat  lands.  He  thought,  taken  as  a  whole,  the  graz- 
ing fHrmers  were  doing  better  than  the  whoat  farmers.  The  latter  thoimh  ostensibly  making  an  equal  and 
frequently  better  percentage,  were  icasting  their  capital.  The  grazin:;  lands  and  the  wheat  lands  wore  rap- 
idly  appn'iachina  each  other  in  market  value,  by  the  rise  of  the  former  and  the  deterioration  of  the  latter. 
May  this  not  artord  a  parallel  to  what  will  one  day  be  witnessed  in  the  Somheni  States  ? 

It  is  ditficull  for  me  lo  paas  by  the  name  of  this  accomplished  writer — this  pure,  upright  and  philanthropic 
man — without  throwing  one  stone  on  the  cairn  of  his  well-mcritcft  fame.  He  felt  himself,  from  his  infancy, 
cut  off  from  the  companionship  of  his  kind,  by  disease  and  deformity  ;  but.  notwithstanding  the  body  was 
"  ugly,"  he  "carried  a  precious  jewel  in  his  head."  Triumphing  over  constant  physical  sullerings  which 
would  have  prostrated  most  men,  he  made  attainments  in  general  knowledge  possessed  by  few  of  his  con- 
temporaries. His  ranee  of  reading  and  study  was  remarkable.  In  his  beautiful  and  sparkling  letters  to 
me,  every  subject  an<l  almost  every  science  is  touched  upon  by  him  in  a  manner  that  shows  that  he  at  least 
had  mastered  their  general  principles ;  and,  in  the  abandon  of  private  intercourse,  they  seem  to  have  been 
to  him  aa  the  tlowereu  of  a  garden,  among  which  his  spirit  could  roam  with  that  playful  and  joyous  activ- 
ity which  was  denied  to  his  poor,  frail  body,  among  the  objects  of  the  outer  and  physical  world. 

Freely,  unassuminsly,  and  without  an  aspiration  but  for  the  good  of  his  fellow  men,  his  mind  poured  ont 
its  stores  on  a  variety  of  topics  in  the  publications  of  the  day.  Fortunately,  he  gave  his  principal  attentif>n 
to  the  subject  of  Agriculture,  and,  if  not  a  ditroverer  (which  he  never  claimed  to  be),  he  invcitii-ated  and 
collated  with  an  innustriousiiess  of  research,  discrimination  and  perspicacity,  which  brought  the  truth  from 
all  the  dittVrent  sources  where  discoveiTr  or  experience  had  I'll  its  disjerta  membra,  into  essays,  so  well  cum- 
pacied,  so  clearly  ar  ranged,  that  men  of  the  most  ordinary  parts  could  not  only  umlerstand  his  s-parale  sen- 
tences and  po«iiioa:<,  but  iheir  counectiou  and  aggregate  bearing,  and  ibua  rnaaier  ibe  whulo  subject.  Feaco 
tu  his  ashes  '. 

*  Got.  Uaaunood. 


80  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

ritor)',  of  14,000,000  of  acres,  to  be  appropriated  ?  Are  we  forever  to  be  supplied  with  stock 
from  tlie  ^Vest,  bread-stuffs  from  the  Middle  States,  and  manufactures  from  the  North  1  Is 
ail  that  we  can  reahze  from  our  labor  to  be  expended  abroad  ?  Nothing  to  be  left  for  our 
own  impi-ovements  or  our  luxuiy  ?  As  one  means  of  correcting  this  evil,  your  Committee 
propose  an  Agricultural  Survey  of  the  Slate,  to  determine  our  natural  advantages,  develop 
our  facilities  of  improvement,  exhibit  our  profits  and  expenditures,  and  awaken  our  citizens 
to  the  importance  of  vying  ivifk  the  rest  of  the  human  family  in  all  the  improvements  of 
which  our  location  is  susceptible 

"  The  exposition  which  your  Committee  has  given,  showing  the  great  competition  of  for- 
eign rice  with  our  own,  and  that  South  Carolina  cannot  compete  with  the  West  in  the  cheap 
production  of  cotton,  and  tliat  she  must,  ere  long,  be  driven  from  the  market,  demonstrates 
the  necessity  of  looking  abroad  and  around  us  for  other  sources  of  advancement  and  profits 
than  those  we  possess. 

"  We  cannot  expect  that  accident  is  continually  to  supply  new  staples  suited  to  our  soil 
and  climate,  and  place  us  beyond  the  reach  of  contingent  circumsbmces.  We  must  resort 
to  science  to  improve  our  Agriculture,  and  to  machinery  to  enlai'ge  and  prepare  present  arti- 
cles of  culture,  or  transplant  and  acclimate  neic  products,  which  will  again,  like  those  v>'e 
have  lost  and  will  lose,  lead  off  lor  a  period  in  the  employment  of  capital,  amassing  of  wealth 
and  diffusion  of  human  happiness." 

The  House  and  Senate  agreed  with  the  Report,  the  same  day,  and  its 
principal  recommendation,  an  Agiicultuial  Survey  of  the  State,  was 
adopted. 

The  Committee  appointed  hy  the  South  CaroHna  State  Agricultural  So- 
ciety to  consider  the  scheme  of  Col.  Davie  to  reduce  the  quantity  of  cotton 
growia,  made  a  Report,  through  their  Chairman,  Judge  Seabrook,  at  the 
winter  meeting  of  the  Society,  1845-6,  from  which  the  following  are  ex- 
tracts :* 

"  Another  cause  of  our  disti'ess  is  that,  in  a  large  portion  of  the  southern  country,  cotton  is 
cultivated,  when  its  production  does  not  now,  and  never  can,  at  all  compensate  the  planter 
for  the  labor  bestowed.  There  it  is  desirable  for  every  one  that  other  branches  of  industry 
should  be  pursued.  .  .  .  We  do  not  intend  to  encourage  the  cultivatiou  of  cotton  to  the 
neglect  of  the  other  products  necessary  to  support  or  comfort.  Eveiy  planter  shonld  prompt- 
ly render  himself  independent  in  reference  to  those  articles  which  could  be  produced  on  his 
plantation.  In  this  w.iy  he  would  profitably  curtail  the  quantity  of  land  devoted  to  the  cot- 
ton crop.  An  abandonment  of  the  present  exti-emely  defective  mode  of  culture,  and  the  sub- 
stitution of  a  better,  would  insure  a  larger  quantity  of  cotton  than  would  be  lost  by  diversify- 
ing the  products  of  industry.  In  other  words,  his  cotton  crop  would  be  larger ;  his  corn, 
■wheat,  rice,  oats,  barley,  horses,  mules,  hogs,  cattle,  sheep,  butter  and  vegetables,  would  be 
the  produce  of  his  farm. 

"  If,  however,  the  cotton  crop  is  to  be  given  up  one-half,  after  all  the  reductions  of  it  which 
we  have  sanctioned,  to  what  else  can  the  planter  of  the  South  so  profitably  turn  his  attention  ? 
To  grain  ?  He  already,  in  wdinary  yeai's,  produces  twice  as  much  as  the  Middle  States,  and 
about  one-eighth  more  than  the  ^Vest.  In  Indian  corn  alone,  the  produce  of  the  South,  by 
her  last  census,  was  300  million  bushels.  If  the  planter  of  cotton  is  engaged  in  an  unprofit- 
able business,  much  more  is  the  grain  raised.  .  .  .  Millions  of  acres  in  South  Carolina, 
including  the  lower  country,  are  admirably  adapted  to  the  raising  of  rich  grasses.  This 
might  be  added  as  another  branch  of  industry,  from  which  reasonable  profits  might  be  real- 
ized, and  might  very  well  be  added  to  the  cotton  planter's  income.  The  business  of  tanning 
and  the  manufactures  of  leather  miglit  be  and  ought  to  be  enlarged.  In  this  State,  all  the 
means  of  a  successful  pursuit  of  this  branch  of  industry  ai-e  at  hand  and  within  the  reach  of 
every  one.     Hides,  lime,  bark  and  mechanics  (slaves)  are  abundant." 

The  remarks  in  both  of  the  above  extracts,  though  made  exclusively  in 
reference  to  South  Carolina,  will  apply  equally  well,  in  many  obvious  par- 
ticulars, to  all  the  old  cotton  and  tobacco  growing  States. 

To  a  Northern  man,  accustomed  from  his  childhood  to  see  sheep  hus- 
bandry blended,  to  a  greater  or  less  extent,  in  the  operations  of  nearly 
every  farm,  and  to  live  among  farmers  who  regard  it  just  as  indispensable, 
and  as  much  a  matter  of  course,  as  the  production  of  bread-stuffs,  it  seems 
singular  enough  that  neither  of  the  above  able  Committees,  in  looking  for 

*  As  has  been  before  stated,  the  other  members  of  the  Committee  were  Judge  0"Neall  and  W.  J.  Allston, 
Esq.  Mr.  A.  did  not  concur  with  his  colleagues  in  the  proposition  that  there  was  not  already  an  absolute 
over-production  of  cotton.  He  believed  there  was.  In  all  other  particulars,  and  consequently  in  all  em- 
braced in  the  extracts  given,  he  conciured  in  the  Keporu 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  81 

"  other  sources  (»f  adviuiceineut " — "  new  products" — "  other  brjinchcs  of 
industry" — both  to  briuij  into  use  millions  ot"  acres  of  unproductive  terri- 
tory "  admirably  adapted  to  the  raising  of  rich  trrasses,"  and  to  render 
profitable  and  preserve  the  fertility  of  the  tillage  lands  of  the  State,  should 
not  have  thought  of  wool  growing — or  only  thought  of  it,  as  it  were,  inci- 
dentally— at  the  very  heel  of  a  catalogue  of  farm  products,  and  in  refer- 
ence solely  to  su{)plying  the  home  want ! 

Indeed,  the  estiiiiate  which  has  been  set  upon  sheep  husbandly  gener- 
ally, and  by  all  classes  of  agriculturists.  South,  is  a  source  of  unmixed  sur- 
prise to  one  acquainted  with  this  pursuit,  and  with  the  resources  of  that 
region  for  sustaining  it.  There  appears  among  many,  if  I  may  credit  your 
own  writers,*  to  be  even  a  pnji/d/cc  against  sliecjt  and  sheep  husbandry, 
per  se  !  Is  this  because  these  animals  bear  a  staple,  and  give  em])loyment 
to  manufactories,  which  have  claimed  the  "protection"  of  Government,  to 
the  prejudice,  in  the  opinion  of  Southern  politicians,  of  Southern  interests'?! 
Is  any  portion  of  it  due  to  the  scornful  denunciations  of  the  brilliant,  but 
eccentric  and  cynical,  statesman  of  Roanoke,  who  "  would  at  any  time  go 
out  of  his  way  to  kick  a  sheep"  ?  Or  is  it  owing  to  the,  in  most  respects, 
justly  popular  writings  of  Col.  Taylor,  of  Virginia!  Hon.  Andrew  Ste- 
venson, of  the  same  State,  in  a  letter  to  John  S.  Skinner,  Esq.,  says  :| 

"  The  prejudice  which  the  late  Col.  John  Taylor,  of  Caroline  (who,  by-the-hy,  did  more 
for  Agriculture  than  any  man  in  America),  had  against  shfcj),  has  ht-on  the  means  ot"  render- 
ing this  description  ot  stock  unpopular  in  7i)uny  parts  of  the  southern  country.  ...  If 
this  distinguished  pattiot  and.  statesman  bad  lived  at  tbis  day,  be  would  have  cbauged  bis 
o]>iniou." 

The  impropriety  and  inexpediency  of  giving  all  the  labor  and  prime  land 
of  the  country  to  the  exclusive  cultivation  of  one  or  two  crops,  even  leav- 
ing the  deterioration  of  the  lands,  consequent  on  such  a  course,  out  of  the 
question,  is  forcibly  set  forth  in  the  Reports  above  quoted  from.  But  that 
deterioration  is  an  infinitely  more  fatal  evil,  both  to  individuals  and  States. 
An  injudicious  course  of  cropping  can  be  easily  changed;  but,  if  the  land. 
is  entirely  impoverished,  the  change  comes  too  late,  until  labor  and  capital 
have  been  employed  on  its  restoration.  The  tendency,  nay,  the  absolute 
connection  as  cause  and  effect,  between  the  one-crop  system  and  such  dete- 
rioration, has  been  proved  by  too  sad  an  experience  at  the  South — is  too 
universally  recognized  and  conceded — to  find  a  single  questioner  who  pos- 
sesses ordinary  intelligence.  AVherhor  the  conse(]uent  phenomena  are 
solved  by  the  excretionary  theory  of  De  Candolle,  or  the  more  ordinary 
one  of  the  exhaustion  of  some  of  those  substances  which  constitute  the  ne- 
cessary food  of  plants,  the  facts  presented  are  the  same.||  The  soil  yields 
constantly  diminishing  crops,  until  it  becomes  incapable  of  producing  more 
than  scattering  and  feeble  plants ;  and  the  insect  enemies  of  the  latter, 
which  would  perish  if  deprived  of  their  aliment  by  the  substitution  of  some 
other  plants,  multiply  in  a  constantly  ascending  ratio.§ 

*  Hon.  Andrew  Stevenson,  John  S.  Skinner,  etal.'xn  Monthly  Journal  of  Airriculture,  &C. 

t  If  such  pioieinion  has  prejudiced  the  South,  what  stronger  reason  why  she  thould  remunerate  herself 
by  apDrupriRtiiig  a  shan?  of  it! 
'  \  Monthly  Journal  of  AiTiculrure,  July,  1845. 

II  The  theory  of  M.  De  Candolle,  apparently  so  stronsly  supported  by  the  experiments  of  M.  Mncaire,  has 
found  many  believers.  But  thi;  stata-ments  of  the  latttT  have  been  contradicted  hy  M.  Biaronni't.  M.  Mir- 
bel,  and  tinally  are  totally  overthrown,  in  my  judjinient,  by  the  expf-riniints  and  inveflii:«lioii(>  of  Mr.  Alfred 
Gyde,  of  :*cotl«nd.  Mr.  Gyde  shows  that  the  minute  excretions  of  plants  have  the  sainr  conipni^icion  with 
their  tap;  and  he  also  watered  plants  with  a  solution  of  their  excretions,  not  only  without  injurj-,  but  to 
their  manifest  benefit  1  For  Mr.  (lyde's  able  Prize  Kssay  on  this  subject,  see  the  Transactions  of  the  High- 
land and  Agricultural  Society  of  Scotland  (March,  1846).  I  am  not  aware  that  tbis  essay  has  been  repub- 
lished in  our  country.     It  certainly  should  be. 

5  Of  the  latter  evil,  the  past  year  furnished  a  prepiant  example.  I  saw  it  stated  last  winter,  in  the  South 
Carolinian  (published  at  Columbia.  S.  C),  on  the  authority  of  an  United  .^tates  Senator,  thm  the  iHllins;  off 
in  the  cotton  crop  would  bo  enormous,  by  reason  of  the  dcpredntion  of  vorms.  'Ibis  evil  is  riiDstnnily  \u 
creasine.  and  must  continue  to.  while  the  planter  continues  to  provide  aliment  for  each  gucceeiUog  horde 
of  dcslroycrt,  by  continuing  un  the  soil  the  plania  on  which  they  prey. 

Li 


82  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

Experience  has  shown  that  if  vegetables  of  different  classes  are  made  to 
follow  each  other,  the  soil  will  much  longer  retain  its  productiveness. — 
Even  when  "  exhausted"  of  some  one  or  more  of  those  ingredients  neces- 
sary for  the  healthy  ju'oduction  of  a  particular  plant,  it  is  found  to  produce 
others  luxuriantly  wliich  do  not  require  the  lacking  ingredients,  or  but  very 
minute  portions  of  them.  And,  by  a  most  beautiful  arrangement  of  phys- 
ical causes  and  effects,  when  a  plant  is  removed  fi-om  the  soil,  and  notwith- 
standing its  place  is  occupied  by  others,  a  process  of  restoration  at  once 
commences  to  replace  all  that  the  absent  plant  has  appropriated,  and  to 
prepare  the  kindly  bosom  of  the  earth  again  fur  its  reception.  Nature 
herself,  in  ministeiing  to  this  beneficent  end,  becomes  a  great  laboratory  ; 
and  in  her  most  ordinary,  as  well  as  her  most  unusual  operations,  she  is 
constantly  producing  those  chemical  changes,  and  furnishing  those  chem- 
ical ingredients,  which  restore  what  has  been  abstracted  by  man's  cupid- 
ity, or  lost  by  his  improvidence.  The  gentle  rain  brings  down  ammonia 
and  carbon  to  plants.  The  fz'ost  rives  the  solid  rocks,  to  disengage  their 
fertilizing  constituents.  The  sun,  in  his  flaming  path,  looks  down  not  only 
to  warm  and  give  us  light,  but  to  perform  functions  in  the  vegetable  econ- 
omy without  which  all  herbage,  except  a  few  miserable  fungi,  would  per- 
ish ;  and  to  all  he  imparts  their  varied  and  beautiful  coloring.  The  thun- 
der which  shakes  the  walls  of  cities,  and  strikes  man  with  awe,  brings  to 
our  aid  one  of  the  most  efficient  promoters  of  vegetation.  Even  the  burst- 
ing volcano  converts  its  fiery  crater  into  a  crucible  and  retort,  and  gives 
off  that  gas  which  forms  so  large  a  portion  of  all  the  vegetable  and  animal 
productions  of  the  globe  :  and  the  wild  winds,  which  strand  navies  in  their 
course,  equally  diffuse  it  over  the  earth. 

It  follows  from  the  above  positions  that  naturally  good  lands*  which  are 
more  or  less  exhausted,  will  be  gradually  resuscitated  by  "rest,"  or  an  en- 
tire exemption  from  tillage  ;  and  hence  the  absurd  idea  that  lands  require 
physical  "  rest,"  in  the  same  sense  in  which  the  tired  animal  muscle  re- 
quires it,  after  continuous  exertion.  But,  apart  from  the  theory,  the  prac- 
tice of  '■'■resting"  lands  is  inexpedient,  for  the  following  reasons:  If  a 
plant  is  not  continued  on  a  soil  until  it  consumes  any  of  those  inorganic 
constituents  necessary  to  its  production — if,  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  suc- 
ceeded by  a  plant  which  makes  its  heaviest  drafts  on  th6se  inorganic  sub- 
stances which  its  predecessor  required  the  least  of,  and  vice  versa — the 
natural  recuperative  process  above  adverted  to,  aided  hy  vieans  whicJi  lose 
to  us  none  of  the  value  of  the  crops,  will  repair  the  waste  made  by  each 
plant,  before  it  again  occupies  the  soil,  in  a  judicious  rotation.  Hence,  by 
a  rotation  of  crops,  fertility  can  be  indefinitely  sustained,  and  the  earth 
each  year  return  its  increase.  Thus  the  ends  of  "rest"  are  attained,  with- 
out its  great  and  vmprofitable  sacrifices. 

To  sustain  the  fertility  of  the  soil,  some  portion  of  the  crops  of  every 
rotation  must  be  converted  into  manure.  These  are  the  "aiding  means" 
above  alluded  to.  They  may  be  converted  into  green  or  animal  maiuire. 
If  the  former,  the  whole  crop  is  plowed  under.  If  the  latter,  the  crop  is 
first  partly  converted  into  animal  manure,  by  animals  depastured  on  it,  and 
then  this  animal  manure,  with  the  remaining  vegetation,  is  plowed  under. 
The  last  is  always  the  most  economical  method,  on  good  lands,t  because 
the  crop  is  worth  almost  as  much  for  manure,  after  passing  through  the 


*  I  say  "nHlurally  good  lands,"  for  those  entirely  deficient  in  several  of  the  necessary  constinients  of  a 
fertile  soil  might  require  ages  of  rest  to  obtain  these  constituents — if,  indeed,  they  ever  would,  by  merely 
natural  causes. 

t  I  have  limited  the  assertion  to  "  pood  lands,"  because  a  crop  of  green  manure,  turned  under  at  the 
proper  stage  of  its  growth,  will  undoubtedly  make  rather  more  manure  than  in  any  other  way  ;  and  it  may 
be  expedient  many  times  to  give  poor  lands  all.    This  is  especially  true  in  the  reclamation  of  barren  lands. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


89 


bodies  of  animals,  as  it  would  be  turned  under  gi"een  ;  and  tlien  wo  have 
all  the  profit  made  on  or  by  the  animals — meat,  wool,  &:c. — without  any 
additional  cost.     Sheep,  beinq  the  best   niAuinvrs,  and  other\vi.«;(!  tlie  most 

SroHtablo  animals,  will  (witli  enou>rh  other  animals  t(»  supply  all  tlie  home 
eiuand  tor  the  necessaries  lurnislied  by  them)  best  sustain  a  proiitahle  ro- 
tation. 

Here,  perhaps,  the  discussion  of  this  topic  in  connection  with  the  sub- 
ject matter  of  tiiese  letters  slumld  terminate  ;  but  L  am  unwillin!»^  to  aban- 
don it,  without  making  a  few  practical  suggestions  as  to  the  rolati(»n  which 
would  be  found  most  proKtable  at  the  South — more  particularly  on  the 
valuable  cotton  lands,  which  are  suflering  most  for  the  want  of  it.  It  is 
manifestly  inip(»ssilile  to  lay  down  any  rule  or  rules  on  this  subject,  which 
can  or  should  he  rigidly  acted  upon,  in  all  instances.  Leading  principles 
can  only  be  declared,  and,  if  correct,  the  intelligent  man  can  always  vary 
tlieir  application  so  as  to  meet  the  exigencies  of  his  particular  case. 

First,  I  should  consider  it  indispensable  on  all  cott(jn  (or  tobacco)  lands,* 
under  all  circumstances,  to  keep  at  least  one-third  of  them  in  pasturage,  to 
insure  the  proper  amount  of  manure,  over  and  above  cotton  seed,  and 
such  occasional  supplies  of  swamp  mud  and  marl  as  might  be  obtained  at 
spare  intervals — and  all  other  incidental  manures.  Another  third,  1  be- 
lieve, should  be  generally  devoted  to  grain  for  bread  stuffs,  for  fattening 
the  necessary  amount  of  bacon,  and  for  the  winter  forage  of  horses,  mules, 
swine,  &c.  Uidess  the  horses  and  mules,  and,  perhaps  I  should  add,  the 
cows,  were  wintered  entirely,  or  in  gi-eat  part,  on  grain  and  the  offal  (;f 
the  grain  crops,  one-third  of  the  cuiti rated  land  in  gi'ass,  would  not  support 
animals  enough  to  produce  the  manure  requisite  for  two-thirds  in  cotton 
and  grain.  But  in  making  the  above  division,  I  spoke  only  of  the  arable 
lands  fit  for  the  growth  of  cotton.  Most  plantations  have  poor,  or  swampy, 
or  rough  lands,  which  would  most  profital)ly  be  kept  permanently  in  grass, 
and  these  would  supply  the  deficit.  The  remaining  third  of  the  arable 
lands  might  be  devoted  to  cotton,  or,  in  the  tobacco  region,  to  tobacco. 

By  the  course  above  proposed,  the  cotton  (or  tobacco)  and  wool  woidd 
be  made  the  salable  products.  The  grain,  grass,  dairy  products,  bacon, 
&c.,  would  be  consumed  on  the  plantation.  This  is  as  it  should  be.  Eu- 
ropean famine  has  given  a  stir  to  the  latter  products  this  year,  (and  it  may 
for  a  year  more,)  in  the  Southern  mai'kets  ;  but  with  the  ordinary  Euro- 
pean demand,  the  old  Southern  Atlantic  States  cannot,  as  we  have  seen, 
compete  at  a  profit  with  these  commodities,  which  debouch  through  the 
Mississippi,  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  the  northern  canals.  With  the  two 
wools,  as  they  are  sometimes  called,  the  "  vegetable  and  animal,"  these 
States  can  undoubtedly  sustain  themselves  against  the  pressure  of  any  out- 
ward competition. 

Such  a  division  of  crops  as  the  one  above  proposed,  could  be  effected 
by  a  six-course  system  of  rotation.  Let  us  suppose  the  land  of  the  planta- 
tion fit  to  grow  corn  and  cotton,  divided  into  six  equal  fields.  I  then  pro- 
pose the  following  rotation : 


Ist  year 

Grass  depa-stured. 

Ist  year 

Gra.ss  depastured. 

Ist  year 

Cotton. 

2d     .. 

do.            do. 

2d     .. 

Cotton. 

2d      .. 

Cotton  with  yard  ma- 

3d   .. 

Cotton. 

3d     .. 

Cotton  with  yard  ma- 

nure, &c. 

4th  .. 

Cotton  with  yard  ma- 

nure, iVc. 

3d     .. 

Corn  with  pea."*. 

nure,  <5lC. 

4th    .. 

Corn  with  peas. 

4th    .. 

Small  grains  with  grasa 

5lh    .. 

Com  with  peas 

.-.th    .. 

Small  grains  with  grass 

seed. 

6lb   .. 

Small  grains  with  g^ass 

seed. 

.ith    -. 

Grass  depastured. 

seed. 

6lh    .. 

Grass  depastured. 

6th    .. 

do.            do. 

*  I  have  not  included  the  rice  Innda,  because  beinii  deep  beds  of  alhirial  deposit",  composod  in  a  great 
measure  of  organic  matter,  and  being  susceptible  of  irrigation,  they  will  not  wear  out  like  urdinary  eoili, 
and  stand  less  m  need  of  rotation  in  their  crops. 


84 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


Ist  year 

Cotton  with  yard  ma- 

1st year 

Corn  with  peas. 

Ist  year 

Smallprainswith  grass 

nure,  &.C. 

2d      .. 

Small  grains  with  grass 

seed. 

2d    .. 

Corn  with  peas. 

seeds. 

2d      .. 

Grass  depastured. 

3d    .. 

Small  grams  with  grase 

nd    .. 

Grass  depastured. 

3d      .. 

do.            do. 

seed. 

4th     .. 

do.            do. 

4th    .. 

Cotton. 

4th   .. 

Grass  depastured. 

r.th    .. 

Cotton. 

5th    .. 

Cotton  with  yard  ma- 

5th   .. 

do.            do. 

tith    .. 

Cotton  with  yard  ma- 

nure, <5cc. 

6th   .. 

Cotton. 

nure,  &c. 

tilh    .. 

Com  with  peas. 

Supposing  each  of  these  fields  to  contain  50  acres,  this  would  give  100 
acres  of  giass,  100  of  cotton,  and  100  of  grain  (oO  of  corn  and  50  of  small 
gx'ains)  annually. 

By  this  course  all  the  hauled*  manure,  each  year,  would  be  given  to 
one-sixth  of  the  land,  and  consequently  the  same  field  would  not  receive 
it  but  once  in  six  years — yet  coenj  crop  would  be  adequatehj  manured. 
The  first  cotton  crop  would  receive  an  ample  amount  from  the  grass  roots 
and  the  droppings  of  animals  for  two  years ;  the  second,  from  the  hauled 
manure ;  the  corn,  from  the  manure  left  by  the  previous  crop,  and,  if 
needed,  by  a  small  amount  of  cotton  seed,  ashes,  (or  some  other  mineral 
fertilizer,)  in  the  hill ;  the  small  grain  crop  would  be  amply  manured  by 
the  peas  sown  with  the  preceding  coi'n  ;  and  the  land  would  go  back  into 
grass  in  excellent  "  heart,"  and,  if  the  previous  tillage  was  what  it  should 
be,  entirely  free  from  weeds.  The  corn  might  intervene  between  the  two 
cotton  cr(jps,  and  thus  remove  the  objection  which  exists  against  taking 
two  crops  of  the  same  kind  in  succession.  But  I  placed  cotton  4th,  be- 
cause thei-e  should  come  a  manured  crop  at  this  period  of  the  rotation,  and 
I  thought  it  better  to  give  the  manure  to  the  more  valuable  crop,  and  be- 
cause cotton,  as  the  5th  crop,  would  not  admit  of  the  cultivation  of  the  pea, 
to  provide  manure  for  the  small  grain  succeeding.  The  rotation  might  be 
thus  varied,  however,  if  circumstances  should  seem  to  render  it  desirable. 

I  have  put  down  no  meadow  in  the  rotation  on  the  arable  lands.  But 
I  believe  the  growth  of  hay  to  a  certain  extent,  not  only  to  supply  any  or- 
dinary deficiency  in  winter  feed  beyond  the  quantity  furnished  by  the 
usual  sources — but  to  guard  against  contingencies,  would  be  good  econo- 
my in  all  cases.  All  farm  animals  must  be  well  wintered,  to  give  a  prof- 
itable return  in  summer  ;  and  those  occasional  scarcities  of  fodder  always 
liable  to  overtake  the  farmer,  should  be  providently  guarded  against.  It 
is  never  considered  poor  economy,  in  the- North,  to  have  a  few  tons  of  hay 
even  to  summer  over.  The  necessary  meadows  for  the  plantation  might 
be  made  on  some  of  the  less  arable  lands  before  referred  to — and,  when 
the  tillage  lands  are  in  an  uncommonly  fertile  state  and  pasturage  plenty, 
it  tvould  do  to  mow  one  of  the  grass  crops  (the  second  one)  of  the  above 
rotation,  though,  if  avoidable,  I  should  think  the  other  course  entirely  pref- 
erable. 

On  poorer  lands — the  poorest  class  which  can  be  profitably  devoted  to 

cotton  growing — I  would  propose  a  five-shift  course,  as  follows  : 

1st  year,  Grass  depastured.  ''         3d  year,  Cotton. 

2d     ..        do.  do.  4th    ..     Com  with  p6as. 

5th  year.  Small  grains  with  grass  seed. 

The  manure  to  be  given  to  the  third  or  fourth  crop,  according  to  circum- 
stances, or  divided  between  them.-  - 

On  lands  of  a  still  inferior  grade,  but  which  it  may  be  expedient  to 
plow  at  intervals,  I  would  prQpose  the  following  : 

1st  year.  Grass  depastured. 
Sd      ..        do.  do. 

3d     ..        do.  do. 


4th  year.  Grass  depastured  (or  mown.) 

5th    ..     Corn  with  peas. 

6th    ..     Small  grains  with  grass  seed. 


*  I  mean  by  this,  the  manure  from  every  source  which  is  carted  upon  the  land  in  quantify,  as  contradis- 
tinguished from  that  which  is  dropped  there  by  animals,  made  by  plowing  under  vegetables,  or  canied  on 
in  small  quantities  to  drop  in  the  hill,  &c. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  85 

The  number  of  years  depastured  to  depend  upon  fertility — the  poorer  the 
land,  the  longer  it  should  bo  kept  in  pasture. 

The  following  is  the  rotation  which  was  introduced  by  Col.  Taylor, 
north  of  the  cotton-growing  region : 

Ist  year,  Com.  3d  year,  Clover  (and  weeds)  not  mown  nor 

2d      ..     Wheat  and  clover  powti — if  too  prazcd. 

poorforwlicat,  left  at  ruiJt  and  not  grazed.   4lh    ..     Clover  not  mown  nor  grazed. 

Of  this,  Mr.  John  J.  Thomas,  one  of  the  Editors  of  the  Albany  Culti- 
vator, very  justly  remarks  : 

"  It  WHS  matoritilly  opposed  tt)  the  principles  of  good  liusbnndry  in  several  respects.  It 
furnished  vcirftahle  inaimre  only  to  th<'  liuid.  A  large  portion  of  the  value  of  tliis  vegetable 
growth  was  lost,  by  dissipation  into  the  air,  during  its  decay.  The  returns  from  the  land 
were  necessarily  stn:ill,  as  only  two  yeare  out  of  four  produced  crops  for  harvesting.  Aud  it 
greatly  increased  the  labors  of  tillage,  by  the  increase  of  noxious  weeds." 

Had  this  clover  been  fed  off  by  sheep,  a  portion  of  the  above  objections 
"would  be  inapplicable,  and  there  would  be  no  danger  of  the  corn 
leaving  the  soil  too  impoverished  for  wheat,  particularly  if  peas  were 
sown  with  the  former,  to  be  plowed  under.  A  crop  of  weeds  is,  of  all 
others,  the  most  to  be  avoided,  as  the  seeds  deposited  by  it  will  continue 
to  sprout  for  years  with  the  subsequent  tillage  crops,  rendeiing  them  foul 
and  difficult  of  cultivation. 

I  may  be  in  a  profound  eiTor,  but  I  cannot  but  believe,  after  carefully 
Btudying  Southern  Agiiculture,  and  the  circumstances  which  invest  it, 
that  by  adopting  the  six-shift  system  of  rotation  above  recommended,  or 
something  analogous  to  it,  on  the  cotton  lands,  the  desideratum  expressed 
in  Judge  Seabrook's  Report  will  be  attained.  More  cotton  will  ulti- 
mately, if  not  even  now,  be  produced  from  less  land  :  the  other  necessa- 
ries of  life  will  become  mainly  the  product  of  the  plantation  ;  a  new  staple 
will  be  introduced  to  employ  the  surplus  capital,  as  profitable  at  least  in 
its  acreable  products  as  cotton,  and  tending  to  the  constant  reparation,  as 
cotton  tends  to  the  constant  waste  of  the  fertility  of  the  land. 

I  will  not  tire  you,  Sir,  with  a  comparison  between  the  relative  profits 
of  wool  and  cotton  cfrowing.-  On  looking  over  the  answers  of  Southern 
gentlemen  to  Mr.  Walker's  Treasuiy  Circular,  (1845,)  I  find  that  the 
stated  profits  on  cotton  in  the  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States,  west  of  Louisiana, 
range  from  1  to  8  per  cent,  on  capital  invested — the  average  of  all  the 
statements  being  about  4^  per  cent.  ! 

I  may  remark  incidentally  that  in  your  own  able  replies  to  that  Circular, 
you  set  downi  the  profits  of  rice  grooving  between  1842  and  1845,  at  7  j  per 
cent. ;  for  the  ten  preceding  years,  at  "  about  8  per  cent." 

A  reference  to  Letter  V.  will  show  you  how  these  profits  compare  with 
those  of  wool-growing.  Admitting  the  accuracy  of  the  data  therein  given, 
there  is  no  i-eri/  great  difference  in  the  cost  of  growing  a  pound  of  wool 
and  a  potmd  of  cotton  ! 

We  come  now  to  the  Joiirtk  point  of  view  in  which  we  are  to  regard  the 
profits  of  sheep  husbandry  in  the  Southern  States — ""whether  independent 
of  preceding  cf)nsiderations,  and  even  if  the  staples  funii.shed  by  sheep  hus- 
bandry proved  no  more  profitable,  in  direct  returns  on  capital  invested, 
than  some  of  the  present  staples,  it  woyli'hot  be  better  economy,  on  the 
whole,  for  the  South  to  produce  th'iS  raw  material  and.  manufacture  do- 
mestic woolens,  particularly  for  the  apparel  and  beddinq^  of  slaves,  than  to 
be  dependent  for  them  on  Enaland  and  Ma.ssachusetts  1  " 

The  woolen  apparel  and  bedding  of  slaves,  when  no  part  of  it  is  manu- 
factured on  the  plantation,  costs  about  86  per  head  per  anrnim.  The 
blankets  imported  from  England  weigh  about  4^  lbs.  and  cost  a  little  over 


86  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

$3.  The  Welsh  plains,  imported  from  England,  weigh  usually  not  far  from 
13  ounces  per  yard,  and  cost  fiom  65  to  70  cents ;  and  the  Chelmsfords, 
a  heavy,  coarse  article,  from  Massachusetts,  from  50  to  58  cents. 

Now  what  is  the  cost  of  manufacturing  (including  wool  and  eveiy  other 
expense,)  cloth  of  the  same  amount  of  stock,  and  better  quality,  than  Welsh 
plains  I  To  the  present  weiglit  of  the  cloth  per  yard  add  one-third,  and 
you  have  the  weight  of  the  wool  in  the  fleece — as  bought  of  the  farmer.*  If, 
then,  the  Welsh  plains  weigh  13  ounces  per  yard,  they  required  17i  ounces 
of  fleece-wool  as  stock.  Wool  of  the  quality  worked  into  "  plain  cloth  " 
or  "  sheep's  gray,"  in  this  State,  (New-York,)  many  shades  better  in  qual- 
ity than  the  stock  of  Welsh  plains,  has  averaged  from  June  to  December, 
1846,  from,  say,  20  to  22  cents  a  poundt — or,  if  pulled  from  the  pelts  of 
slaughtered  sheep,  as  is  the  case  with  large  quantities  of  it  worked  into 
these  cloths,  it  did  not,  during  the  same  period,  stand  the  purchaser-in  to 
exceed  18  cents  per  pound.  Assume  the  average  to  be  21  cents  per  pound, 
and  the  stock  of  a  yard  of  these  cloths  (17^  ounces)  would  cost  22j  cents. 

You  are  familiar  with  the  character  of  the  "  sheep's  gi'ays  "  of  New- 
York.  They  are  worn  almost  universally  by  our  farmei's.  Of  the  twenty- 
five  thousand  men  you  saw  at  the  State  Fair  at  Rochester,  at  least  three- 
fourths  of  them  ordinarily  wear  this  quality  of  cloth  for  pantaloons,  and 
say  one-half  of  them  for  coats.  Its  ordinary  weight  is  from  that  of  the 
Welsh  plain  to  16  ounces  per  yard,  and  its  style  and  expense  of  manufac 
ture  are  superior  to  those  of  the  former.  It  can  be  manufactured,  in  ■ 
eluding  use  of  machinery,  &c.,  and  every  process  after  the  wool  is  received 
in  the  fleece,  to  fitting  it  for  market,  for  eleven  cents  per  yard  !  A  mer- 
chant of  this  State  owns  a  manufactory,  employing  say  S25,000  or  $30,000 
of  capital,  which  turns  off"  from  500  to  600  yards  of  cloth  per  diem — the 
fleece-wool  being  converted  into  finished  cloth  in  eight  days.  His  whole 
expenses,  including  use  of  manufactory,  averages,  according  to  his  own 
statements,  not  to  exceed  the  above  named  price  per  yard.  Add  this  sum 
to  the  cost  of  wool,  and  cloths  containing  an  equal  quantity  and  quality  of 
stock  with  Welsh  plains  would  cost  33-|  cents  per  yard  ;  and  you  there- 
fore pay  for  this  class  of  cloths  about  one  hundred  per  ccnt.heyoxiA  the  first 
cost,  for  transportation,  duties,  and  manufacturer's  profits.  The  latter,  of 
course,  absorbs  most  of  the  immense  sum  thus  paid,  or  rather  tJiroicn  away, 
annually  by  the  Southern  States.  The  Chelmsfords,  and  various  other 
woolen  goods  irapoited  by  you,  are  probably  manufactured  at  nearly  equal 
profits. 

Is  it  singular,  then,  that  "  acres  of  woolen  manufactories  "  are  now  in 
the  process  of  erection  in  the  North  ?  or  that  existing  establishments 
are  declaring  dividends  of  from  ten  to  fifteen  per  cent.  %\ 

But  I  have  not  done  with  the  data  of  manufacturing.  The  manufac- 
turer above  alluded  to  has,  to  my  certain  knowledge,  exchanged  "sheep's 
grays  "  requiring  a  pound  of  stock  per  yard,  for  wool  of  the  same  quality 
as  the  stock,  giving  a  yard  of  cloth  for  1|-  lbs.  of  wool.     Calling  this  wool 


*  After  being  washed  in  the  ordinary  manner  on  the  back  of  the  sheep. 

t  Wool  h«s  risen  since  December. 

X  I  did  contemplate  an  enumeration  of  the»npw  woolen  manufactories  now  building,  or  in  contempla- 
tion, within  my  iinowledge,  in  this  Suite  and  New-EnyUmd  ;  l)ut  will  mention  but  a  few  of  the  most  im- 
portant ones.  The  Bay  State  Mill:?,  now  in  proce*i8  of  eri'ctioii  in  the  new  city  of  Lawrence.  Mass.,  will 
work  ui)  2,00(),0(X)  lbs.  of  wool  per  annum.  One,  of  the  mills,  200  feet  long  and  six  stories  high,  will  go  into 
operation  thi^i  summer.  The  machine-shop,  wool-house,  etc.,  (the  mere  offices,)  will  be,  inclndinj;  winiis, 
thirteen  kmidrert  ftet  in  length,  and  three  stories  high.  Their  very  sewer  will  cost  SS.'i.OOO  I  A  splindid 
steam  mill  has  just  gone  into  o])eration  in  Utica,  in  this  State,  which  will  work  up  1,000,000  lbs.  of  wool  per 
annum.  Another  of  the  same  size  is  in  contemplation,  in  Utica;  another  in  Syracuse;  another  in  Auburn, 
&c.  !  There  never  was  a  time  when  Ameiican  m^nufartures  stood  on  «  firmer  ba.sis,  or  were  making  bet- 
ter protits  with  a  prospect  of  having  them  continxwus.  This  is  conceded  by  the  ablest  of  the  mamifactiureri 
thansclvts.  as  1  shall,  in  the  proper  place,  show. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  87 

21  cents  per  pound,  the  cloth  would  thus  cost  the  purchaser  363^  cents  per 
yard. 

Any  of  the  manufactories  doing^  custom-work  will  manufacture  these 
goods  "  at  the  halves,"  so  that  a  yard  requirinj:^  a  pound  of  stork  wotild 
cost  two  pounds  of  wool,  or  42  cents.  That  as  heavy  as  Welsh  plains 
would  thus  cost  A'')\  cents.it  heiiis;  from  10.',-  to  24^  cents  jier  yard  /r.v.v  f/zan 
you  now  paij.  Yet  here  the  manufacturer  oi'  custom-work  admits  the  sufli- 
ciency  of  the  profit,  hy  askin<]f  no  more. 

Blankets  are  of  still  coarser  wool,  having  the  appearance  of  Smyrna,  or 
inferior  South  American.  They  are  not  "  sheared,"*  which  diminishes 
the  waste.  Neither  do  they  need  dyeing  m.atter.  But  independent  of 
these  considerations,  calling  cost  of  stock  per  pound,  and  the  waste  from 
all  causes  the  same,  6  lbs.  of  fleece-wool  would  make  a  blanket.  To  the 
wool  fostine  21  cents  a  pound  add  11  cents  per  pound  (of  the  stock)  for 
manufacturiufj,  and  the  actual  cost  of  the  blanket  is  SI  92.  Have  them 
manufactured  bv  the  halves,  and  they  would  cost  you  12  lbs.  of  wool  each, 
or  S2  52. 

I  have  in  the  previous  estimates,  based  my  calculations  on  the  viarhet 
price  of  the  lower  quality  of  medium  wools.t  But  there  is  another  and  a 
most  important  view  of  the  subject.  It  has  already  been  sho^^Tl  that  the 
South  can  produce  wool,  to  any  desirable  extent,  at  a  sum  not  exceeding 
8  cents  per  pound — and,  in  favored  localities,  at  a  much  lower  rate.  By 
the  exchan2fin<i  system  (wool  for  cloth)  you  would  get  a  yard  of  clotli 
equalinfT  the  Welsh  plain  in  stock,  and  superior  in  quality,  for  2  lbs.  2^  oz, 
of  wool,  costing  the  producer  just  17i  cents  !  A  blanket  weighing  4^  lbs. 
would  be  obtained  for  12  lbs.  of  wool,  costing  96  cents  ! 

Does  this  sound  a  little  like  dreaming,  Sir  ?  I  ask  you  to  carefully 
examine  the  premises,  and  see  if  there  is  any  escaping  from  these  con- 
clusions ] 

Will  the  South  continue  to  slumlier  on,  thus  throwing  away  the  fruits 
of  her  industry  ?  Do  you  tell  me  that  her  people  know  nothinc^  about 
manufacturinff,  and  have  no  taste  for  it  ?  The  necessaiy  knowledge  is  as 
readilv  acquired  by  a  Southern  as  a  Northern  man  ;  and  when  that  is  oK 
tained,  and  there  is  a  prospect  of  projit  ahead,  the  tnstc  will  not  long  be 
wantincr  '•  You  have  the  capital  :  you  have  natural  facilities  to  an  un- 
bounded extent  both  to  propel  the  machinery  and  produce  the  staple. 
What  more  do  you  want  ?  What  more  can  you  ask  ?  A  joint  stock  asso- 
ciation of  planters,  at  any  suitable  point,  mie^ht  cause  a  manufactory  to  be 
erected  worth  say  825,000,  under  the  direction  of  a  skillful  and  experi- 
enced machinist.  This  would  turn  off,  say,  500  yards  of  cloth  per  diem. 
If  the  machinery  was  in  all  respects  good,  and  the  water-powei  sufKcient 
and  unfailinsr,  a  competent  and  responsible  Northern  manufacturer  could 
be  obtained  (if  desired),  to  take  the  establishment,  furnishing  hands,  Arc, 
and  work  the  wool  furnished  him  into  cloth  of  the  kind  before  described — 
containing  about  the  same  stock  with  Welsh  plains,  and  fitting  it  for  mar 


'  *  After  a  gulficient  number  of  fibres  have  been  torn  up  from  the  threads  by  the  teazles  or  cards  of  the 
"  gie-mill  "  to  f"mi  a  siilRcicntly  thick  nsp  on  the  surface,  these  fibres  are  croppt-d  or  "  sheared  "  by  a  ma- 
chine for  that  purpose  ;  and  in  superline  cloths  the  process  is  several  times  repeated,  each  time  culiin:;  ot}" 
an  additional  portion  of  tibre,  which  is  called  "flocks."  A'di~honest  custom  now  prevails  amunij  snme 
manufacturers  of  workine  these  licM-ks  acain  into  the  body  of  the  cloth  to  give  them  woii;ht.  den.«ciiess,  and 
apparent  firmness.  By  this  means  the  Rii;eini»  and  shearine  process  can  be  continued  on  thinnisb  cloths  un- 
til a  beautiful  surface  is  obtained,  without  the  additional  thinness  and  lichtness  consequent  thereon  being 
apparent  to  any  but  an  exjierienred  eye.  .''beep's  gntys  and  other  coarse  cloths  are  (ncced  and  sheared  but 
•lightly.  In  some  manulnctories  the  former  process  is  altiii;ether  omitted,  and  the  cloth  is  simply 
"  brushed  "  prior  to  shearing.     .Such  cloths  are  stronger,  but  do  not  liHjk  as  well. 

t  Pay  of  the  quality  of  common  Souih-Pown  and  Native  and  Lons  wools,  with  a  sufficii-nt  dash  of  Me- 
rino blood  in  the  last  to  make  ibetu  cardiug-wuuU,  and  to  bring  them  to  about  the  saoie  hoencss  witb 
the  &rst  named. 


88 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


ket.  for  eight  or  nine  cents  a  yard.*  I  know  of  a  manufacturer,  at  no  great 
distance  from  me,  who  tlius  takes  a  manufactory  worth  pi;rhaps  S8,000  or 
$10,1)00,  and  furnishes  tlie  cloth  (of  the  above  stamp,)  fitted  for  market,  for 
nine  cents  a  yard,  the  owner  furnishing  the  wool,  the  use  of  the  manufac- 
tory, and  the  dyeing  matter.t  The  supply  of  water  at  this  estahlishment 
fails  during  two  or  three  months  each  year;  and  one  competent  to  judge 
informs  me  that  seven  cents  would  be  better  pay  per  yard,  if  the  machine- 
ry could  be  kept  in  motion  the  year  round.  It  is  probable  that  it  would 
cost  rather  more  at  the  South  to  provide  the  necessary  fixtures,  obtain 
machinery,  etc. ;  and  it  would  also  cost  more,  for  a  period,  to  carry  on 
manufacturing,  from  the  greater  difficulty  of  obtaining  operatives  in  case 
of  losino^  any  of  those  attached  to  the  establishment.  All  these  disadvan- 
tao-es,  however,  not  of  much  importance  at  the  first,  will  soon  disappear. 
Slaves  should,  as  rapidly  as  the  nature  of  the  case  admits  of,  be  converted 
into  operatives,  and  when  the  number  becomes  once  adecjuate  to  the  end,  it 
miglit  be  indefinitely  multiplied,  without  those  embarrassments  which  so 
commonly  attend  the  attempt  to  mingle  white  and  black  labor. 

It  is  cheaper  to  manufacture  by  hand,i:  (with  the  exception  of  carding, 
fullino-,  and  dressing,)  than  to  purchase  your  slave  cloths  at  present  prices, 
if  slave  costs  no  more  than  free  labor. 

On  the  average,  15  knots  of  warp,  and  15  of  filling,  make  one  yard  of 
flannel  about  5  quarters  wide.  The  ordi^nary  shrinkage  of  this,  in  fulling 
it  into  cloth,  is  one  quarter  in  length  and  width.  It  would  therefore  re- 
quire 40  knots  to  make  a  yard  of  fulled  cloth.  The  carding  here  in  small 
parcels  costs  3  cents  per  pound,  and  ISf  cents  per  pound  for  fulling,  dye- 
ino-  and  dressing.  In  considerable  quantities,  the  carding  can  be  hired  done 
for  2  cents  per  pound,  and  the  other  processes  for  one  shilling  per  yard. 
Spinning  (by  considerable  quantities  and  for  "  cash-pay, "|1)  can  be  hired 
done  for  7  cents  a  run  (20  knots)  for  warp,  and  5  cents  for  filling — averag- 
ing 6  cents  for  both.  Weaving  can  be  hired  done  for  6  cents  per  yard  (of 
flannel),  which  brings  it,  in  the  dressed  cloth,  to  8  cents  per  yard.  The  ac- 
count would  then  stand  thus  : 


1  lb.  of  wool 

Carding  same 

Si)inning 

Weaving 

Dyeing,  lulling  and  dressing 

Total 


Small  parrels. 

Large  parci'ls. 

21  cents. 

3     •' 
14     " 

10     " 
\H  " 

21  cents. 

2  '• 
12     " 

8  " 
12^   " 

tifij  cents. 

5.tJ  cents. 

Making  55^  cents  the  price  of  a  yard  of  domestic  cloth,  estimating  the 
wool  at  market  price  :  estimating  the  latter  at  cost  of  production  (8  cents), 
the  price  of  the  finished  cloth  would  be  42^  cents  per  yard,  and  it  is  a 
better  article  for  wear  than  either  the  Welsh  plains  or  Chelmsfords.§ 

*  1  have  no  doubt  it  could  be  done  at  a  fair  profit  in  the  North  for  7  cents  per  yard.  I  am  understood,  of 
course,  to  meao  thai  ;hi;  manufacturer  pays  no  rent,  insurance,  nor  for  repairs.  The  stockholders  furnish 
the  wool,  which  is  worked  up  hy  the  former,  at  the  stipulated  price. 

t  Modern  iriijenuity  lias  reduced  the  expense  of  this  to  a  mere  trifle.  Most  of  the  "  sheep's  prays,"  you 
have  observed^  an-  of  fcrruainouii  hue  Those  of  this  color  are  dyed  principally  by  tan  bark  — the  bark  of 
the  hemlock  (Ahhs  r.anadmsia),  which  is  sold  here  at  $1  75  to  S2  a  cord  ! 

1 1  am  aware  that  to  'manufacture"  is  to  jnake  by  hand,  but  I  use  the  word  in  its  popular  and  more  pen- 
ernl  siynitication.  It  would  have  been  better  to  have  compounded  a  word  from  the  Latin  mnchina  and 
faciti  (machiiitacture  ?)  to  signify  made  by  machinery,  and  thus  expressed  the  two  ideas  by  properly  de- 
rived and  detiiiitive  woids. 

11  This  word  "  ca.sh-pay  "  is  one  of  mighty  import  in  the  regulation  of  prices  in  the  interior,  where  a  very 
general  (but  nnw  decreasing!  system  of  barter  prevails,  and  utider  which  Wealth  too  ofien  dictates  to 
Want  what  it  sbull  receive  for  its  labor,  and  also  prescrihi'S  the  prices  of  the  commodities  in  which  it  i)ays. 

§  Home-made  fabrics  are  usually  stronger  and  wear  better  than  those  made  by  machinery,  (or,  in  other 
words,  man "/nrtwri'ii  cloths  outwear  inarMnfactHred  oxma  \)  but  this  is  not  necessarily  so.     The  several 

iirocesses  can  be  dune  uiidi(ul)ti-illy,  and  probably,  generally  are  more  perfectly  by  machinery  than  by 
land.  Kut  in  machine-made  cloths  the  yarn  is  commonly  s)iun  finer,  so  there  is  Icsis  stock  in  a  yard.  And 
they  are  submitted  to  processes,  described  in  a  previous  Note,  which  farther  impair  their  strength. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  89 

$1,500  will  set  Tip  a  carclinjr  and  cloth-dressing  factory,  which,  with 
three  ijood  hands,  will  turn  off  .'lO  yards  of  cloth  ]ier  diem.  l>y  Tahle  I. 
it  appears  that  in  IboQ  tlu-re  wcrv  hut  114  of  these  factories  south  of  the 
Potomac  and  west  of  the  Mississip])i,  doinu^  an  annual  husiness  of  S;.'J20,- 
938,  while  in  the  sinp;le  State  of  New- York  there  were  32o  factories,  doing 
an  annual  husiness  ofSM, 537,337  !  Of  the  114  Soutlunn  factories  66  were 
in  the  States  of  Kentucky  and  Tennessee;  41  in  Virc^inia  ;  3  in  each  of 
the  Carolinas;    1  in  CJeorsjin,  and  in  the  remaining  four,  none  ! 

The  number  is  decreasing  in  New-York,  as  manufactories  of  the  com- 
mon fabrics,  worn  by  farmers  and  other  laboring  men,  are  increasing  in 
every  direction — many  of  them  doing  custom-work  either  at  the  halves, 
or  at  a  fixed  sum  ]>er  yard — and  all  of  them  exchanging  cloth  for  wool. 
By  either  of  these  methods,  the  cloth  can  lie  obtained  as  cheaply,  jierhaps 
cheaper,  than  to  manufacture  it  in  families.  Ihit  ciicumsfanced  as  you 
are  at  the  South,  you  can,  as  before  asserted,  manufacture  mf)re  cheaply 
by  hand  (excepting  carding,  fulling  and  dressing),  than  to  import  your 
slave  cloths  at  present  prices,  if  jirovided  with  factories  to  perform  the  ex- 
cepted processes.  Where  the  institution  of  slavery  exists,  and  where 
spinning,  weavincr,  etc.,  can  be  done  in  those  intervals  of  bad  weather 
when  the  time  of  laborers  would  otherwise  be  entirely  thrown  away,  it  is 
doubtful  whether  any  extension  of  even  the  coarse  cloth  manufactories 
would,  or  ought  to,  in  an  economical  point  of  view,  banish  the  home-made 
article.  If  we  count  the  slave  labor  thus  saved  one-half  the  value  of  free 
labor,  and  dispense  with  the  fulling  and  dressing*  (which  we  usually  dis- 
pensed with  in  manufacturing  domestic  slave  cloths,  in  the  interior  of  the 
Carolinas,  Georgia,  etc.),  the  cloth  would  cost  but  20  cents  a  yard,  and  the 
dyeing  might  carry  it  to  22  cents.  Let  one-half  the  fabric  be  made  of  cot- 
ton, and  the  cost  would  be  still  farther  reduced.t 


Since  the  above  was  written,  I  have  received  the  samples  of  Welsh 
plains,  Chelmsford  plains,  and  slave  blankets  forwarded  by  you.  None  of 
these  goods  exceed  in  quantity  the  estimate  I  have  put  upon  them  in  my 
precedin'j^  remarks. 

The  Welsh  plain  which  you  state  cost  65  cents  per  yard  by  the  piece, 
(32  inches  wide,)  is  about  the  thickness  of  rather  heavy — but  not  the 
heaviest — sheep's  gray.  It  is  not,  however,  by  many  shades,  so  close  and 
firm  a  cloth,  for  the  want  of  equal  fulling  ;  and  perhaps  even  this  would 
not  give  it  equal  firmness,  by  reason  of  the  loose  tirist  of  the  yarn.  The 
yarn  is  considerably  coarser,  (larger  in  diameter,)  than  that  ordinarily  em- 
ploved  in  sheep's  gray — but  it  derives  no  inconsiderable  portion  of  its 
bulk  (which  gives  the  cloth  its  thickness)  from  the  loose  and  inij)erfect  man- 
ner in  which  it  was  twisted  in  spinning.  This  is  particularly  the  case 
with  the  JiUlns;,  which  you  can  scarcely  detach  from  even  so  open  a  web, 
\vithout  its  breakincj  ill  pieces.  Accordingly,  the  cloth  tears  very  easily 
let}sthtcise,  for  that  presenting  such  an  apparent  amount  of  stock. 

With  a  sutlicit'iit  amount  of  fulling,  dycintr,  (it  is  white,)  and  a  little 
gigging  and  shearing — or  simply  brushing — it  would  become  identical  in 

*  But  still  5-i>ii  want  cBriiinz-mnrhinp'i.  tornrrl  thp  wool  :  for,  by  hiinrl.ir  is  n  slow  snd  px|)rnFiTf  prncpss. 

\  \  WHS  cliiiwn  a  ni'W  iirti'li'  of  fHiin>'t«  n  il«y  or  two  ninrr  It  wits  itouble  or  broHdclolh  wiiiili,  hliick, 
Rn'5  the  cotton  warp  dyeU  bliick,  ami  could  only  l)i'  distinirniaheit  fionru  vt-ry  fair  \i\vrc  of  hlack  broad, 
cloth  by  cxaminini;  tho  rot  cdco.  The  manufiicturiT  staii'il  that  the  cotton  waq)  wciehed  but  n  07.  per 
yard  ;  but  I  do  not  credit  the  R*'trtion.  One  is  eircmt'ly  inclined  to  suspect  that  a  cloih  of  llii^*  chai-arler 
could  not  have  been  "pot  up"  for  any  very  legitimate  purpose,  but  that  il  belongs  in  ihe  woodcnnutnieg 
and  horn-Hint  caleeory ! 

The  ordinary  aalinct,  when  well  made,  is  a  profitable,  cheap  cloth. 

M 


90  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE   SOUTH. 

appearance  with  heavy  sheep's  gi'ay,  excepting  in  the  quality  of  the 
wool.  That  is  inferior  to  any  I  ever  saw  in  a  single  piece  of  the  former. 
It  appears  to  be  of  two  qualities,  the  finest  about  like  the  Asia  Minor  or 
African  ("Smyrna"  or  "  Mogadore  ")  wools;  and  this  intermixed  with 
occasional  still  coarser  sharp  j^ointed  hairs,  which  could  come  only  from 
an  animal  not  many  removes  from  the  wild  Argali.*  In  both,  there  is  a 
peculiarly  dry,  harsh,  wiry  feeling,  not  found  in  North  American  wools, 
and  which  is  more  indicative  of  an  inferior  staple — of  brittleness,  and  want 
of  felting  propeities — than  even  their  coarseness.  The  staple  is  not  appa- 
rently a  very  huig  one.  I  conjecture  that  it  is  Iceland  wool — or  that, 
mixed  with  Orkney,  or  some  of  the  coarsest  short  or  medium  staple  wools 
of  Scotland. 

The  Chelmsfords,  (31  inches  wide,)  twilled,  undyed,t  cost,  you  inform 
me,  58  cents  per  yard.  The  plain  article,  (/.  e.  vmtwilled,)  28  inches  wide, 
costs  50  cents  per  yard.  The  sample  of  the  twilled,  forwarded  by  you,  is 
a  thicker,  decidedly  stronger  cloth,  with  larger  and  far  moi"e  tightly 
twisted  yarn,  than  the  sample  of  Welsh  plains.  The  wool  is  of  about  the 
same  quality,  though  at  first  view  it  strikes  you  as  decidedly  coarser,  as 
the  longer  nap  shows  more  of  the  coarse  fibres  on  the  surface,  and  these 
are  rendered  more  conspicuous  still  by  their  variety  of  color.  But  on  re- 
solving portions  of  each  cloth  back  into  unmanufactured  wool,  I  can  detect 
little  or  no  difference  in  its  fineness,  unless  it  be  that  the  stock  of  the 
Chelmsford  plains  possesses  none  of  those  peculiarly  coarse  fibres  or  hairs 
which  characterize  the  other.  The  wool  usea  in  the  Chelmsfords  is  ap- 
parently of  a  longer  staple.  It  is  probably  South  American,  thovigh  it 
may  be  Smyrna  or  Mogadore,  as  it  bears  a  strong  resemblance  to  the  wool 
of  the  broad-tailed  sheep  of  Asia  and  Africa.  You  state  that  the  Welsh 
is  generally  thought  to  outwear  the  Chelmsford  plain.  This  may  be  true 
of  the  ordinary  articles,  but  I  think  it  cannot  be  of  the  samples  forwarded. 
Of  these,  the  latter  possesses  nearly  double  the  strength  of  the  former, 
and  is  much  the  heaviest  cloth. 

The  slave  blanket,  6  feet  11  inches  long,  by  6  feet  5  inches  wide,  weigh- 
ing 4i  lbs.,  you  state  cost  about  $3  12^  by  the  piece  (a  piece  containing 
16  blankets  costs  $50).  It  is  manufactured  of  a  very  coarse  and  a  long 
stapled  wool — not  much  fulled — with  a  long  nap  raised  on  both  surfaces. 
The  wool  in  quality  resembles  that  used  in  the  Chelmsfords. 

On  the  receipt  of  these  samples,  I  forwarded  a  specimen  of  the  Welsh 
plains  to  two  manufacturers  of  experience  and  perfect  pecuniary  respon- 
sibility, asking  them  at  what  price  per  yard  they  would  contract  to  furnish 
me  100,000  yards  of  cloth  of  the  same  style  and  equal  quality  with  the 
sample.  The  question  was  put  to  both  of  these  gentlemen  and  received 
by  them,  as  purely  a  commercial  one — the  opening  of  a  commercial  nego- 
tiation. Each  stood  ready  to  enter  immediately  on  the  fulfillment  of  a 
contract,  based  on  his  offer. 

The  following  is  the  answer  of  one  of  the  above  named  gentlemen  : 

Henhy  S.  Randall,  Esq.  Morrisville,  N.  Y.,  April  20,  1847. 

Dear  Sir  :  Yours  of  the  13th  is  at  hand  and  duly  noticed.  I  have  no  wool  of  the  quality  of  the 
6am|)le  sent,  and  do  not -wish  to  work  ibreitrn  wool.  I  would  like  to  make  for  you  100,000  yards 
like  the  sample,  out  of  our  American  or  domestic  wool.  I  would  make  it  as  thick  and  tight  as  the 
sample  sent,  32  inches  wide,  at  40  cents  per  yard.  I  could  not  say  how  much  less  it  would  cost 
to  gel  up  the  article  from  the  same  kind  of  wool  with  that  used  in  the  sample.  I  do  not  know 
what  that  kind  of  wool  is  now  worth  in  market.  I  have  not  worked  any  of  it  for  two  vears  past. 
Yours,  truly,  C.  TILLINGHAST. 

*  Many  of  the  unimproved  brecris  h«ve,  rs  is  common  with  wild  animals,  a  coating  of  hair  over  a  finer  pe- 
lage beneath,  and  it  is  dilficult  to  porfcctly  separate  them. 

t  A  small  portion  of  the  wool  t:mi)l()yc(l  in  ihe  filling  is  black,  giving  the  cloth  a  dirty  drab  or  ash  colon 
But  this  1  take  to  be  the  natural  color  of  the  wool. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  .  91 

The  first  answer  of  the  other  manufacturer,  S.  Newton  Dexter,  Esq.  of 
Whitestown,  Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y.,  (head  of  the  Oriskany  Manufarturinpf 
Coinpanv,)  it  is  not  necessary  to  transcribe  entire.  Mr.  Dexter  intonned 
nie  that  liis  machinery  is  calculated  for  the  manufacture  of  fine  cloth  ;  that 
the  cardint^  of  coarse  wool  would  injure  his  cards;  that  its  manufacture 
would  throw  him  out  of  his  regular  course  of  business  ;  that  he  had  no 
wool  of  the  (juality  used  in  tlie  sample  on  hand  ;  tliat  he  sliould  be  com- 
pelled to  use  domestic  wool;  an<l  that  for  these  reasons  and  some  others 
named  by  him,  he  coidd  not  uncUrtake  to  fill  the  contract  at  less  than  42 
cents  per  yanl — which  he  knew  would  be  considered  a  high  price. 

Mr.  Dexter  bein<r  a  <gentleman  ecpially  distinguished  for  his  correct  and 
able  business  character,  and  for  that  capacity  and  range  of  information 
whicli  give  value  to  his  opinions  on  all  the  topics  connected  with  this  in- 
vestigation, I  addressed  him  a  second  communication,  asking  him  what  he 
could  manufacture  the  cloth  for,  giving  him  time  to  procure  stock  of  the 
same  (piality  used  in  the  sample.  I  also  inclosed  liim  proof-sheets  of  the 
preceding  part  of  this  letter,  asking  him  his  opinion  of  the  correctness  of 
my  statements,  in  relation  to  the  general  cost  of  inanufacturing,  &c.  The 
following  extracts  from  his  reply  will  be  read  with  interest  : 

Col.  Henbv  S.  Randall  :  Wiiitesto'wn,  April  24,  1847. 

Dear  Sir:  Yours  reached  me  on  Wednesday.  There  is  no  doubt  at  all  but  what  if  I  felt  cer- 
tain that  wool  could  be  procured  of  the  quality  of  which  your  sample  was  made,  at  a  price  pro- 
portionably  low,  1  could  have  afforded  to  have  manufactured  the  cloth  at  37  cents  per  yard,  aa 

WL-ll  as  at  -li,  and  use  oar  coarse  native  wool,  at  a  [)robable  cost  of  25  cents There  has  been 

an  advance  of  more  than  70  per  cent,  in  the  price  of  lard  oil.  The  price  a  .short  time  since  was 
55  cents.     The  la.st  1  bought  cost  95  cents  in  New-York.     Five  quarts  of  this  oil  are  wanted  to 

every  80  yards  of  these  cloths I  cannot  imagine  where  the  wool  was  from  out  of  which  the 

sample  was  made,  probably  from  Iceland — for  1  recollect  some  twenty  years  aj^o  the  Oriskany 
Manufacturintr  Company  obtaiiii-d  just  such  wool  somewhere,  when  American  wool  was  deemed 
too  high,  and  manufactured  it  into  miserable  .satinet.s,  by  which  they  lost  a  great  deal  of  money. 
The  wool  was  said  to  have  been  imported  from    Iceland.     1  was  cue  of  the  Directors  of  the  mill 

then,  but  had  nothing  to  do  with  •'  operating  "it 

Y'ou  request  my  o|>inion  as  to  the  correctness  of  your  statements  of  the  probable  co.st  of  Welsb 
plains,  «!cc.,  and  generally  of  the  statements  put  forth  by  you  on  the  .subject  of  woollen  manufac- 
tories. I  am  not  very  ^ood  authority  as  to  the  cost  of  manufacturing  coarse  woolens,  never  liav- 
ing  done  much  in  that  way.  I  am  free  to  say.  however,  that  your  estimates  may  generally  be 
relied  on.  Certainly  you  have  allowed  liberally  for  what  would  have  been  the  cost  of  such  wool 
by  the  pouuil  la.st  year;  but  I  think  your  estimate  of  17  J  oz.  of  wool  in  the  fleece,  out  of  which  to 
niauufaclure  one  yard  of  cloth  3-'  inches  wide,  similar  to  the  sample  iuclo.sed  in  your  letter,  too 
low.  I  shoulil  think  it  would  certainly  take  20  oz.,  or  Ij  [)ounds.  The  allowance  of  11  cents  for 
manufacturing  will,  I  am  inclined  to  think,  pay  charges,  but  it  will  not  atlbrd  any' profit,  nor  in- 
terest on  capital,  nor  leave  anything  for  keeping- machinery  in  repair.  It  is  a  very  close  calcula- 
tion, when  fuller's  soap,  lard  oil.  vVc,  are  so  high. 

The  sh.H-p's  gray  cloths  that  you  speak  of.  you  will  observe,  are  generally  not  quite  |  wide — 
say  26  iiichrs — while  the  sample  you  sent  me  was  32  inches.  One  pouiiri  of  well  wa.-lied  fleece 
wool  jriU  make  a  yard  of  sheep's  gray  of  medium  quality  ;  but  unless  the  goods  arejlucked,  the 
calculation  is  a  very  close  one  indeed. 

I  am  inclined  to  think  that  you  overestimate  the  profit  of  manufacturiniGr  woolen  goods,  although 
I  admit  that  in  well-managed  institutions,  that  have  the  most  improved  machinery,  w  iih  an  abun- 
dant cufiital.  the  profits  have,  at  times,  been  very  hiri-'e  indetd,  an<l  our  friend  Pamuel  Law- 
rence, of  w  hom  you  speak,  is  the   vrmsl  promin<'nt  example  of  such  a  manufacturer  wiihin  my 

knowledge Every  new  manufactory  erected,  if  built  with  judgm»;nt.  has  one  advantage 

over  those  already  in  operation,  anil  that  is.  they  have  availed  themselves  of  all  the  imjirovements 
of  those  in  operation.     And  as  machinery  is  constantly  being  produced  at  cheaper  rates,  a  factory 

of  increased  capacity  will  probably  have  cost  less  money 

The  Oriskany  Manufacturing  Companj-  is  the  oldest  comjiany  now  mannfactnring  woolen 
poods  in  the  United  .State.«.  They  have  made  satinets  which  have  sold  readily  at  $3  50  per  yard, 
and  have  made  cloths  which  have  as  reailily  sf)ld  for  S12  piT  yard.  Satinets  full  as  gooif  can 
now  be  bought  at  75  cents,  and  handsomer,  if  not  better  cloths,  for  S3.  What  a  change  is  here  ! 
And  yet  the  Oriskany  Manufacturing  Company  was  perhaps  never  doing  better  than  now.  This 
Company  availed  itself  of  the  opportunities  otlrred  last  year  to  r>btain  wool  very  low,  (o  purchase 
a  supply  for  nearly  two  years.  This  year  the  business  will  be  good,  that  is,  pay  a  profit  of  10  per 
cent  on  investm<-nt«.  evun  where  wool  is  purchased  at  current  rates ;  but  I  do  not  believe  it  will 
Day  more.     I  will  furuisb  you  with  a  brief  estimate  : 


92  SHEEP  IIUSnANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

A  mill  Willi  acnpiial  (>r$IOO.QOO  will  niamifacniro.  s.iy  90,000  yards  of  fi-4  cloth,  which 

will  liiiiiL'  in  iiiarknl  an  av.Miisi;  ofSl  W)  p.T  yard,  or $2.'35,0OO 

To  fioi  these  clnilis  into  cash  (.for  they  are  sold  at  8  mouths,  and  an;  charged 
with  cuiiunissioti  of  5  per  cent.,  and  olher  charges  cc^aal,  in  all,  including  in- 
terest. Iiosin^' and  tnmsijortaiion,  lo  V-i  per  cenf. ^ $16,200 

Com  ol' •J-J.'i.OdO  lbs.  of  wo(;l  at  ;iO  cents H7..3(K) 

:(,:)00  iiallons  sperm  and  lard  oil  at  $1 XMO 

..     Poap.  soft  and  hard 3,500 

..     800.00U  teazles 1,000 

..     Dyeing  materials  of  all  kinds IKoOO 

..     Fuel 1.000 

I'aper.  tape,  twine,  nails,  lumber,  cards,  candles,  ifcc 3.0U0 

Labor,  $.").000  per  quarter,  or 20.000 

..     Insurance 2,000 

Total $122,000 

If  I  were  uni?er  oalli.  I  do  not  believe  I  should  alter  any  of  these  items — or,  at  least,  I  should 
add  as  often  as  I  diminished,  1  have  no  doubt.  You  may  think  $1  50  a  low  average  for  cloths, 
-but  it  must  be  a  very  fair  cloth  to  bring^  tiiat  sum,  I  assure  you.  You  may  al.so  think  12  per  cent. 
a  iii^di  ohari^e  for  getlina:  the.se  cloths  into  cash.  &c.,  but  it  is  scarcely  what  we  pay.  And  the 
records  of  our  wool  book  will  show  that  :?0  cents  is  the  cost  of  such  wool  as  we  work.  And  our 
books  will  prove  that  il  has  taken,  for  many  years  pa.st,  2^  lbs.  of  wool  to  make  a  yard  of  broad- 
cloth. Thero  is  D  [ler  cent,  left  for  proHts  here,  becau.se  1  have  not  allowed  one  cent  for  repairs 
or  taxes,  or  for  the  agents'  salaries,  which  will  swell  the  expenses  fully  up  to  $124,500 — within  a 

fraction  of  sviallowing  up  all  over  10  per  cent Well,  I  admit  that  10  per  cent,  is  a  great 

busines.s  ;  but  vou  spt-ak  of  15.  and  that  is  going  too  far 

Very  respectfully  your  friend  and  obedient  servant,  S.  NEWTON  DEXTER. 

Ir,  will  be  seen  ffom  the  foregoing  letters  : 

1st.  That  where  their  machinery  is  adapted  to  it,  manufacturers  are  will- 
ino-  to  make  and  sell  goods  of  the  same  amount  of  stock  and  style  of 
manui'acture,  with  Welsh  plains,  out  of  domestic  wool  for  40  cents  per 
vard  ;  and  that  manufacturers  of  perfect  pecuniary  responsibility  are  ready 
to  contract  so  to  furnish  it.  This  (apart  from  the  small  item  of  transporta- 
tion) is  Iwenttj-five  cents  per  yard,  or  about  tlilrty-ninc  'percent,  cheaper 
than  you  now  obtain  these  cloths  :  and  an  article  manufactured  from  do- 
mestic wool  would,  by  reason  of  the  far  superior  strength  midifeltmg  j)rop- 
erty  of  the  stock,  be  much  stronger  and  more  durable  than  the  foreign 
goods. 

2d.  It  will  be  farther  seen  that  a  skillful  and  responsible  manufacturer 
would  furnish  cloth,  corresponding  with  Welsh  plains,  at  '61  cents  per  yard, 
could  he  procure  the  same  quality  of  wool  now  employed  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  those  cloths  at  a  price  proportionably  low  with  domestic  wools, 
calling  the  latter  25  cents  per  pound. 

Blankets  are  manufactured  at  equally  exorbitant  profits ;  and  the 
Chelmsfords,  paying  less  transportation  and  no  duties,  approach  the  same 
standard  of  profit — though,  judging  from  your  samples,  I  consider  them 
the  cheapest  gocnls. 

I  have  given  Mr.  Dexter's  undoubtedly  fair  and  candid  statements  in 
the  premises — my  object  in  these  letters  being,  as  I  once  before  have 
stated,  to  arrive  at  truth,  and  not  to  support  a  favorite  hypothesis,  or  to 
maintain,  at  all  hazards,  preconceived  views, 

Mv  own  estimates  and  those  of  Mr.  Dexter,  of  the  actual  cost  of  manu- 
facturing VVelsh  plains,  it  will  lie  seen,  differ — but  not  so  materially  as 
woidd  as  first  appear,  when  the  advance  of  wool,  soap,  oil,  &c.,  are  taken 
into  consideration.  I  have  no  doubt  that,  in  making  his  estimates,  he  had 
his  eye  more  on  the  better  and  more  elaborate  machinery  of  his  own  mills 
— the  more  expensive  and  perfect  performance  of  the  various  manufactur- 
ing processes  common  hi  that  class  of  establishments,  than  on  the  cheaper 
machinery  and  processes  necessary  in  the  maiuifacture  of  coarse  goods. 
My  estimates,  or  rather  statements  of  cost  of  manufacturing  sheep's  gray, 
you  will  recollect,  were  given  on  supposed  actual  hnowledge  of  what  a 
manufacturer  of  these  goods  had  made  them  at.  To  these  Mr.  1).  seems 
to  take  no  exceptions. 

In  relation  to  the  shrinkage  of  wool,  Mr.  Dexter  undoubtedly  bases  his 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOtTH.  93 

opinion  mainly  oti  his  own  experience  in  manufacturing  broad  and  other 
clotlis  of  tine  quality.  In  these,  the  shrinkage  of  the  wool  from  the  fleece 
is  concededly  at  least  half.  And  the  firm,  well  finished  and  honestly  made 
Oriskanv  cloths,  1  have  no  doubt  require  the  highest  rate  of  shrinkage  in 
the  stock.  But  Mr.  D.  concedes  that  a  "pound  of  fleece  wool  will  make  a 
yard  of  sheep's  gray  of  medium  quality."  Now  the  Welsh  plain,  of  the 
quality  of  the  sample,  weighs  13  oz.  per  yard.  As  I  have  already  stated, 
"the  ordinary  weight  of  the  sheeji's  gray  is  from  the  weight  of  the  Welsh 
plain  to  IG  oz.  per  yard."  Thus  a  yard  of  "medium"  sheep's  gray  out- 
weiijhs  a  yard  of  the  ^^'e]sh  plain.  If  this  is  s^,  the  former,  of  course,  re- 
quires the  greatest  amount  of  stock,  the  mere  icidth  making  no  difterence 
whatever.  Mr.  Dexter  was  k'd  into  this  error,  evidently,  by  overesti- 
mating the  wt'isht  of  the  Welsh  plains — and  this  arose  from  the  smallness 
of  the  sample  submitted  for  his  insj)ection. 

His  statement  of  the  cost  of  manufacturing  broadcloths  by  the  Oriskany 
Company  is  entitled,  I  have  no  doubt,  to  the  fullest  reliance.  In  conse- 
quence of  his  remarks  on  this  topic  I  have  changed  a  statement  in  the 
preceding  part  of  this  letter  alluded  to  by  him,  for  fear  it  might  convey  au 
erroneous  idea.  Where  I  spoke  of  "  existing  establishments  declaring 
dividends  of  fjicen  per  cent.,"  I  have  changed  it,  so  that  it  now  reads 
"  from  ten  to  ffteen  per  cent.,"  these  being  the  dividends,  respectively,  of 
the  Oriskany  and  Middlesex*  Companies  last  year,  and  exhibiting  about 
the  range,  probably,  •f  well-managed  companies. 

*  Mr.  Lawrence's  great  eetablishment  at  Lowell,  which  works  up  1,700,000  'bs.  of  wool  per  annum. 


94  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  LN  THE  SOUTH. 


LETTER  Vm. 

PROSPECTS  OF  THE  WOOL  MARKET— FUTURE  DEMAND  AND  SUPPLY. 

Amount  of  Wool  which  mRy  be  grown  in  the  Pouthem  States..  .If  the  demand  is  already  supplied,  where 
18  ii  to  lind  a  Market  ?.. -The  cheaper  Producer  can  drive  his  rival  ft-om  the  market,  unless  the  dis^parity 
of  Capital  is  greatly  against  him... In  Individual  Capital,  the  South  possesses  the  advantage  over  the 
North. .  .The  South  can  produce  Wool  cheaper  than  New.York. .  .North  of  latitude  4''"^  there  will  be  Utile 
difference  in  the  cost  of  pro<lucing  Wool. .  -Cost  of  producing  it  in  New.England — Pennsylvania — New-Jer- 
sey— Ohio. .  -The  Prairies — Their  vast  Extent — Their  anticipated  Advantages  for  Sheep  Husbandry — Flocks 
driven  on  them — Anticipations  blasted,  so  far  as  keeping  Sheep  economically  on  the  Natural  Grnsses  is  con- 
cerned. .  .Character  of  the  Prairie  Grasses — Flourish  but  during  a  short  season,  rendering  the  time  of  fodder- 
ing longer  than  even  in  New-England..  .Another  Difliculty — The  Wild  Grasses  which  the  Sheep  feed  on 
rapidly  become  extirpated — Statements  of  theEditor  of  the  Prairie  Farmer  confirmatory  of  this,  and  of  the 
assertion  in  relation  to  the  length  of  the  time  of  foddering.  -  .His  proposition  to  introduce  Grasses  which  will 
gruw  in  the  Winter — Impracticability — Reasons. .  .Burning  over  the  Prairies— Objections..  .Indifferent 
quality  of  Prairie  Hay. .  .Principal  Advantages  of  the  Prairies  for  Sheep  Husbandry  narrowed  down 
to  two— Cheapness  of  Land — Privilege  of  Pasturing  the  Public  Lands.. -The  latter  Advantage  rapidly 
lessening. .  .Cost  of  Preparing  the  Prairies  for  Sheep  Husbandry — Materials  for  Fences,  Buildings  and  Fuel 
entirely  wanting  on  the  interior  of  them. .  .Coal  for  Fuel  plenty,  but  not  economically  available. .  .Fences — 
those  of  earth  inadequate..  .Hedges — Require /«?ices  to  protect  «Acm  while  growing — Their  success  then 
doubtful. .  .Timber  may  he  grown  for  all  of  the  above  purposes,  but  would  raise  the  cost  of  the  land  above 
those  of  the  Sheep  Lands  of  New.York  and  New-England. .  .The  Shepherd  System  as  a  Substitute  for 
Fences — When  the  Sheep  become  numerous,  it  would  cost  more  to  keep  them  in  separate  tlocks  than 

fences  cost  in  the  East Pasturing  in  Common  considered — The  Sheep  could  not  be  separated  for  any 

ordinary  purpose  of  Sheep  Husbandry — There  would  be  no  protection  against  theft,  promiscuous  inter- 
breeding, untimely  impregnation — No  way  of  effectually  combating  contagious  disorders — Reasons  —  Nat- 
ural and  unremovable  Objections  to  the  Prairies — Want  of  Water— A  Climate  far  more  fickle  and  excessive 
than  in  the  Eastern  States. .  .Shown  by  the  record  of  the  thermometrical  observations  kept  at  the  Military 
Posts  of  the  United  States...  These  compared...  Wool  growing  in  Mexico — In  South  America. 

Dear  Sir  :  In  recommending  the  production  of  Wool  on  a  scale  so  ex- 
tensive in  the  Southern  States,  as  I  have  done  in  my  preceding  Letters, 
the  fact  should  not  be  lost  sight  of,  that  were  these  recommendations  com- 
plied with,  one  of  the  grfiat  staples  of  commerce  would  be  enormously 
increased.  The  Southern  States — the  ten*  to  which  I  have  confined  all 
my  preceding  remarks  and  estimates — to  say  nothing  of  those  in  the  same 
latitudes  west  of  the  Mississippi — include  an  area  of  450,000  square  miles, 
or  288,000,000  square  acres.  Allow  one-eighth  of  this  region  to  be  in  a 
state  of  cultivation,^  or  in  natural  pastures,  and  we  have  36,000',000  acres 
which  could  be  more  or  less  devoted  to  the  growth  of  wool.  Assuming 
that,  on  the  average,  every  two  acres  would,  under  proper  tillage,  support 
one  sheep,  (which,  it  seems  to  me,  they  might  do  with  no  very  matei'ial 
diminution  of  present  staples,)  and  that  the  sheep  average  3  lbs.  per  fleece, 
the  annual  product  of  wool  would  be  54,000,000  lbs.  This  amount  might 
be  indefinitely  added  to,  by  diminishing  the  production  of  present  staples. 
How  far  this  could  be  economically  done,  experience  must  determine. 

If  we  concede  the  adequacy  of  the  present  supply  of  wool  to  the  demand, 
^aking  the  world  together,  it  is  apparent  that  an  increase  of  50,  75,  or  100 
millions  of  pounds,  in  one  quarter,  will  produce  an  over-supply,  (and  thus 
greatly  depress  prices,)  unless  met  by  an  increased  demand,  or  a  coitc- 
sponding  diminution  in  production,  in  some  other  quarter.  I  do  not  concede 
the  adequacy  of  the  present  supply,  but  shall,  however,  waive  that  point. 

The  question  now  arises,  where  is  the  wool  thus  produced  to  find  a 
market,  if  the  South  should,  within  the  next  ten,  fifteen,  or  twenty  years, 

*  Nine,  besides  that  portion  of  Louisiana  east  of  the  Mississippi. 

t  Probably  the  amount  in  cultivation,  including  that  in  natural  pasture,  is  set  down  pretty  high.  It  may 
not  exceed  a  tenth. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  95 

funiish  such  a  surj)lus  ?     Whore  Is   the  present  supply  to  be  diminished, 
or  the  demand  inorcased  ? 

Where  agricultural  competition  exists,  as  a  matter  of  course  the  i)ro- 
ducer  who  can  supply  the  market  with  the  least  expense  to  himself,  has 
an  advantage  which  nothing  but  a  disjiarily  greatly  against  him  in  capital 
can  overcome.  Large  capital,  satisfied  with  less  gains  than  small  caj)ita], 
will  sometimes  sustain  competition  with  the  latter,  with  the  advantages  of 
the  clu-apness  of  production  sumcivhut  against  it.  liut  where  the  differ- 
ence in  Hrst  cost  is  considerable,  the  cheaper  producer  can  always  drive 
his  rival  from  the  market.  The  aggregate  agricultural  capital  in  a  region 
of  given  size  in  New-York,  probably  would  ordinarily  exceed  that  of  an 
equal  territory  in  South  Carolina  or  Georgia.  But  it  is  not  so  with  indi- 
vidual or  personal  capital.  While  the  agricultural  territory  and  capabilities 
of  the  latter  States  are  in  a  comparatively  few  hands,  those  of  New-York 
and  New-England  are  parceled  out  among  a  multitude  of  small  holders, 
who  must  realize  the  first  class  of  agricultural  profits,  to  support  them- 
selves and  their  families.  The  advantage  of  capital  is  therefore,  in  reality, 
on  the  side  of  the  South. 

But  independent  of  this  consideration,  I  have  already  attempted  to  show 
that  the  South  can  jnoduce  wool  so  much  cheaper  than  New-York,  that 
the  latter  will  stand  no  chance  whatever  in  competing  with  her  more 
favored  rival — so  soon  as  that  rival  sees  fit  to  avail  herself  of  her  advan- 
tages. North  of  latitude  40'^  there  will  he  hut  little  disparity  in  the  cost  of 
jiroducing  tcool ;  and  therefore  if  the  South  can  diive  New- York  to  relin- 
quish the  production  of  this  staple,  she  can  do  the  same  with  all  portions 
of  the  United  States  lying  north  of  this  parallel,  unless  on  the  shores  of  the 
Pacific,  where  the  isothermal  line  is  at  least  5°  north  of  its  course  east  of 
the  Missouri.  I  will  now  enter  upon  some  specifications,  and,  where  ne- 
cessary, proofs,  to  sustain  this  proposition. 

New-England  has,  concededly,  no  advantages  over  New-Y'ork  for  the 
cheap  production  of  wool.  Northern  Pennsylvania  is  higher,  coldery,  and 
more  sterile  than  most  of  southern  New-York.  South-eastern  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  the  fertile  portions  of  New-Jersey,  are  the  natural  producers  of 
bread-stuffs  for  the  less  favored  regions  of  those  States,  and  of  provisions 
of  all  kinds  for  the  New-York  City  and  Philadelphia  markets.  The  high 
price  which  good  lands  bear  in  the  vicinity  of  such  markets,  would  prevent 
them  from  competing  with  cheap  interior  lands  in  wool-giowing.  There 
are  sheep  lands  of  good  quality  in  western  Pennsylvania ;  and  in  the 
southern  section,  the  winters  are  perceptibly  a  little  shorter  than  in  New- 
Y'^ork.  This  will  render  the  production  of  wool  upon  them  somewhat 
less  expensive  than  in  the  latter  State,  but  it  will  not  reduce  it  low  enough 
to  allow  them  to  compete  with  the  cheaper  lands  and  still  shorter  win- 
ters of  the  South.  The  same  remarks  will  apply  to  the  hilly  region  can 
stituting  the  south-eastern  portion  of  Ohio. 

Proceeding  still  farther  west,  we  find  a  region  extending  to  a  vast  distance 
whose  topographical  and  geological  features,  flora,  &c.,  taken  in  connec- 
tion, effectually  distinguish  it  from  the  territory  lying  east  of  the  Missis- 
sippi and  Ohio.  Vast  plains,  called  prairies,  (so  named  by  the  early  French 
settlers  from  the  French  word  signifying  meadow,)  which  can  be  purchased 
of  the  Government  in  the  natural  state  for  SI  25  per  acre,  and  which  are 
usually  covered  with  natural  grasses — would  seem,  if  these  grasses  are 
adapted  to  the  summer  and  winter  subsistence  of  sheep,  and  there  are  no 
counterbalancing  disadvantages,  to  unite  facilities  for  the  cheap  production 
of  wool  not  possessed  in  any  other  region  of  our  country.  And  such  supe- 
riority hcis  actually  and  often  been  claimed  for  them. 


96  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

I  propose  to  investigate  this  question  at  considerable  length,  because  there 
are  various  considerations  which,  at  first  view,  give  great  plausibility  to  this 
claim.  And  if  the  ^^rairies  can  produce  wool  cheaper  than  the  South,  it  is 
in  vain  for  the  latter  to  embark  in  the  business — at  least,  beyond  the  ex- 
tent of  supplying  the  home  demand — for  so  limitless  is  the  extent  of  these 
natural  pastures  throughout  the  whole  northern  basin  of  the  Mississippi, 
that  they  could,  perhaps,  supply  the  entire  market  demand  of  the  United 
States  for  this  staple,  for  an  indefinite  period,  vast  as  that  demand  is  des- 
tined to  be. 

But  a  very  few  years  have  elapsed  since  the  most  sanguine  anticipations 
were  indulged  in,  by  large  numbers  of  our  Northern  and  Eastern  flock- 
masters,  in  relation  to  the  superior  capabilities  and  advantages  of  the  prai- 
ries over  Eastern  lands  for  sheep-walks  ;  and  large  flocks  were  driven  hun- 
dreds of  miles,  lands  puixhased,  and  establishments  created,  to  realize 
these  supposed  advantages.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  these  anticipa- 
tions— so  far  at  least,  as  keeping  sheep  on  the  nahiral  herbage  of  the  prai- 
ries is  concerned,  were  briefly  and  summarily  blasted.  Many  of  the  flocks 
driven  there,  actually  perished  in  the  midst  of  seeming  plenty.  On  the 
whole,  the  experiment  is  generally  conceded  to  have  resulted  in  failure. 
Let  us  see  whether  this  was  occasioned  by  mismanagement — temporary 
and  removable  causes — or  whether  we  must  look  for  those  causes  in  na- 
tural and  unchangeable  circumstances. 

Aportion.  of  the  wild  prairie  grasses  are  I'elished  by  sheep,  and  they  thrive 
on  them  ;  but  these  gi-asses,  as  well  as  all  the  other  varieties  growing  there, 
flourish  during  but  an  unusually  limited  portion  of  the  season.  They  be- 
gin to  dry  up  and  lose  their  nutritive  qualities  in  midsummer,  and  long  be- 
fore the  foddering  season  has  commenced  on  the  bleakest  highlands  of 
New-England,  they  are  as  unfit  for  the  subsistence  of  sheep,  as  dry  brush  ! 
Where  the  natural  grasses  are  alone  depended  upon,  the  foddering  season 
on  the  prairies,  north  of  latitude  40°,  will  range  from  six  to  seven  months 
— rarely,  perhaps,  fall  short  of  six,  on  lands  which  have  been  j^^'^^iously 
depastured,  provided  the  sheep  are  maintained  in  good  condition. 

And  there  is  another  material  difficulty  with  the  prairie  grasses  which 
sheep  feed  on.  They  soon — many  of  them  even  in  a  single  season — be- 
come extirpated  if  kept  fed  down  while  growing.  This  is  so  singular  a 
fact  in  vegetable  physiology,  that  I  chose  to  state  it  in  the  words  of  an  in- 
telligent resident  of  the  prairie  region — whose  local  pride  and  partiali- 
ties would  naturally  prompt  him  to  give  as  favorable  a  coloring  to  the 
agricultural  advantages  of  his  chosen  home,  as  a  regard  for  truth  would 
admit  of.  From  a  communication  of  J.  Ambrose  Wight,  Esq.,  Editor  of 
the  Prairie  Farmei-,  to  L.  A.  Morrel* — replete  with  useful  information, 
and  characterized  by  an  admirable  candor — I  make  the  following  extracts  : 

•'  Sheep  or  other  stock,  but  more  particularly  the  former,  put  upon  a  given  piece  of  wild 
prairie,  ami  confined  to  it,  unless  the  range  be  very  large,  would  not  continue  to  keep 
fat  one  season  after  another,  though  they  would  at  first;  but  il"  allowed  a  new  range  each 
season,  they  would  always  keep  fat.  The  reason  is  this :  Sheep  in  such  cases  will  go  over 
their  range  and  select  such  food  as  they  prefeu,  and  will  keep  at  it  until  it  is  gone.  Hence 
the  wild  bean  and  pea  vine,  and  a  few  other  kinds  of  plants,  wUl  obtain  their  constant  at- 
tentions, and  will  be  kept  so  short  that  they  will,  on  a  given  piece  of  land,  die  out  the  first 
year.  Tlierefore  if  turned  out  on  the  same  grounds  another  season,  the  best  food  will  ba 
gone,  and  the  poorer,  with  which  they  must  then  take  up,  and  which  itself  gets  continually 
poorer,  will  not  sustain  them  in  their  first  condition.  A  small  flock  of  sheep  will  thus  rua 
over  a  large  extent  of  ground. 

Hence  the  utter  hoUowness  of  a  supposition 'whwh  appears  to  be  common  at  the  East, 
that  large  flocks  of  sheep  can  be  sustained  on  the  irild  grass  of  the  prairies  alone.  There 
are  many  places,  it  is  true,  where  a  farmer  might  keep  a  large  flock  ou  the  wild  prairies 

*  American  Shepherd,    pp.  138—145. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  97 

diirin^  the  summer  months  with  j»n)rit,  j)rovi(lfil  lie  had  not  too  manv  neighbors  in  ibo 
BJime  hiisiiiess.  Hut  sucli  tlocks  woiilil  (-oniinuiilly  lessen  their  own  raiiije,  at  ilie  sariie  time 
tluit  it  is  lessening  hy  iimnii^nilion,  stUllenu-nt  and  extenileil  cuhnre.  I  have  been  in  thecoiui- 
try  ahoiii  nine  years;  havin-r  gone,  at  tlH!  first,  into  an   entirely  unsettled   region,   and   have 

fail!  n\uili  attention  to  the  matter;  and  it  is   my  belief  that  the  wild  pniiries  are  desirable 
»r  wi)ol-;;rowing  to  a  verv  limittnl  degree  ;  but  that  the  cultivated  prairies  are  desirable  for 
this  purjiose  to  an  almost  limitless  extent." 

The  follow-ing  fully  sustains  my  preceding  statements  in  relation  to  the 
time  of  fodderinq.  In  answer  to  Air.  Morrel's  question,  "  what  length  of 
time  is  foddering  necessary  in  Northern  Illinois  V     Mr.  Wight  says  : 

"  The  seasons  have  been  extremely  variable  since  my  residence  here — now  nearly  nine 
years.  The  winter  of  ISI'2  and  '-llj  was  the  severest  one  since  the  settlement  of  the  State  • 
and  the  fi^dileriiig  season  lasted  from  the  middle  of  October  to  the  middle  of  April.  The 
winter  of  18  i:?  and  '44,  and  the  present  one  (1844-.'j)  would  require  foddering  for  a  less  time 
by  full  two  mouths.  7'fiis  is  on  Ike  suppoxifion,  however,  that  good  artifirial  paiitnra<re 
is  proridcil.  If  the  wild  prairies  are  relied  on  alone  liir  pasture  and  hay,  full  two  monlha 
must  be  added  to  the  fotldering  season  ;  and  stock  would  barely  get  throui;h  at  that ;  and  I 
think  that  sheep,  in  multitudes  of  instances,  would  perish.  In  this  latitude  with  Timothy 
Red-top  and  Clover  pastures,  the  average  time  would  be  from  4^  to  5  months.  If  a  "ood 
blue-grass  pasture  were  provided,  in  such  winters  as  the  last  and  present,  it  mi"ht  be  reduced 
to  two  months,  and  I  am  told  that  some  so  provided  for,  one  hundred  miles  south  of  here 
liave,  the  present  winter,  scarcely  foddered  ai  all.  I  apprehend,  however,  that  our  winters 
here  will  always  be  variable,  and  that  it  will  be  far  more  difficult  to  predict  their  len<nh 
and  intensity  than  in  New-England."  '^ 

In  another  place  Mr.  Wight  says  : 

"  If,  however,  the  question  is  a.sked,  '  Does  not  the  pasture  on  the  prairies  fail  early  in  au- 
tumn, so  as  to  compel  the  removal  of  sheep  to  other  pasture  beliire  it  is  time  to  "o  into  winter 
quarters  V  I  answer,  yes — long  be}(>re.  In  many  sections  the  prairies  atlord  no  adequate 
pasture  for  daily  purposes  after  the  first  of  September The  wild  grasses  are  extreme- 
ly vigorous  while  they  last,  but  are  all,  without  an  exception,  short-lived." 

The  great  diminution  of  the  foddering  season,  where  the  domestic  or 
cultivated  grasses  are  already  made  use  of,  which  Mr.  W.  anticipates  may 
result  fi-om  the  introduction  of  blue-grass,  will  he  found  utterly  unattain- 
able. Blue-grass  (known  as  June  or  spear  grass),  is  one  of  the  common- 
est varieties  in  New- York  and  New-England.  Peoria,  in  IlHnois,  is  in 
about  the  same  latitude  \\-ith  the  City  of  New- York,  and  consequently  that 
portion  of  Illinois  north  of  Peoiia,  conesponds  with  a  considerable  portion 
of  New-York,  and  all  of  Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island.  And  the  climate 
of  the  former  is  not  less  ricrorous,  and  is  far  more  variable,  than  in  the  lat- 
ter named  States,  as  I  *hall  presently  show.  Now  in  no  portion  of  New- 
York  or  New-England  will  the  blue-grass  reduce  the  foddering  season  to 
two  months,  or  anything  like  it.  It  is  true  that  small  flocks  will  pick  up 
a  subsistenre  on  this  and  other  grasses  in  the  winter,  when  the  o-round  is 
not  covered  with  snow,  and  if  the  pastures  are  not  fed  down  in  the  fall.  To 
suppose,  however,  that  this  or  any  other  herbasre  will  vontinne  to  "row 
when  the  earth  is  frozen  almost  to  the  consistency  of  a  solid  rock,  far  be- 
low its  lowest  roots,  is  an  obvious  error.  In  New- York,  the  crround  remains 
so  frozen  usually  during.the  entire  winter,  and  in  Northern  Illinois  the  cold 
is  equally  intense,  and  there  is  less  snow  to  protect  the  earth  from  its  ef- 
fects. The  CTOund,  therefore,  is  frozen  quite  as  solidly,  and  considerably 
deeper  than  in  the  former.  Grass  left  standing  for  winter  consiimi)tion, 
in  either  State,  becomes,  by  fi-eezing  and  thawing,  tou^h  and  innutntious. 
In  New-York,  the  lartjer  flock-masters  have  long  since  ceased  to  make  any 
provision  of  this  kind,  for  winter-feeding — preferring  to  keep  their  sheep 
in  yards,  and  entirely  from  gra.ss. 

As  Mr.  Wight  himself  very  accurately  remarks  in  another  part  of  his 
communication,  "  It  is  found  to  be  decidedly  better  to  keep  sheep  up  in 
small  flocks,  with  very  little  ground  to  run  over,  while  kept  on  hay,  than 


98  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

to  let  them  run  out  a  part  of  the  time  and  get  such  grass  as  they  can  pick, 
while  there  is  not  enough  to  sustain  them."  But  the  reason  for  this  given 
by  Mr.  W.,  that  "  they  eat  much  dirt,  are  liable  to  be  poisoned  and  lose 
their  appetite  for  hay,"  is  very  far  from  being  the  coirect  one.  Green 
grass  always,  in  a  great  measure,  deprives  sheep  of  their  appetite  for  dry 
hay.  The  grass  thus  left  standing  loses  its  nutritive  qualities,  so  that  it 
will  but  imperfectly  sustain  animals,  and  when  the  snow  falls  and  covers 
it,  sheep  not  only  cannot  obtain  it,  but  they  are  left  without  appetite  for 
other  food.  Open  winters,  i.  e.,  winters  without  snow,  are  always  particu- 
larly fatal  to  sheep  which  are  suffered  to  run  on  the  pastures,  in  this 
climate,  and  for  the  reasons  above  assigned.  They  sometimes  appear  to 
be  doing  well  enough  up  to  toward  the  close  of  February  ;  but  they  are 
imperceptibly  losing  condition  and  strength,  and  when  the  trying  month 
of  March,  with  its  stormy  and  fickle  weather,  sets  in,  they  begin  to  drop 
off,  and  all  sorts  of  diseases — giub  in  the  head,  "  the  distemper,"  etc. — are 
assigned  as  the  causes. 

It  is  in  vain  to  attempt  to  shorten  the  foddering  season  north  of  latitude 
40^,  on  this  side  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  by  seeking  for  any  plant  to  con- 
tinue its  groicth  and  thus  j^roduce  green  feed  in  winter,  unless  in  limited 
districts,  and  on  the  margins  of  large  bodies  of  water.  No  plant  can 
draw  its  nutriment  from  solidly  frozen  ground. 

Mr.  Wight  proposes  burning  over  portions  of  the  prairies  at  intervals, 
to  cause  the  vegetation  to  start  afresh,  and  thus  prolong  the  grazing  sea- 
son on  the  prairies.  INIr.  Flower  makes  the  same  suggestion.  In  some 
localities,  and  under  favorable  circumstances,  this  might,  temporarily,  ac- 
complish the  desired  object ;  but  as  population  increases,  and  buildings 
and  inclosures  are  erected,  it  would  constantly  lead  to  those  unfortunate 
accidents,  which  have  already,  I  believe,  led  at  least  one  of  the  Western 
States  to  prohibit  by  severe  penal  enactments,  the  setting  fire  to  the  dead 
grass  of  the  prairies.  Besides,  we  have  Mr.  Wight's  own  authority  for 
stating  that  sheep  actually  extirpate  those  of  the  prairie  grasses  which  they 
will  feed  on,  so  that  burning  over  could  not  cause  these  to  re-sprout  the 
same  season  or  afterward. 

It  requires  but  little  knowledge  of  the  habits  of  the  sheep  to  know  that 
grasses  rejected  by  it  in  summer,  will  not  constitute  a  proper  aliment  for 
it  in  winter,  and  that  if  confined  to  such  food,  it  will  not  prosper.  A  few 
sheep  with  liberty  to  pick  and.  icaste,  will  live  on  very  inferior  herbage  in 
either  summer  or  winter,  (and  hence  the  sanguine  and  eiToneous  state- 
ments put  forth  by  owners  of  small  flocks  on  the  prairies,)  but  confine 
flocks  to  the  same  food — flocks  which  are  too  numerous  to  be  allowed  the 
privilege  of  selection  and  rejection  in  their  food,  and  the  disastrous  conse- 
quences will  not  be  long  in  exhibiting  themselves. 

In  reviewing  the  preceding  facts,  the,  jjrincipal  advantages  of  the  prai- 
ries for  the  production  of  wool  seem  to  be  narrowed  down  to  two  points  : 
the  cheapness  and  fertility  of  the  lands,  with  a  contingent  right  inuring  to 
the  settler  to  use,  without  paying  for  it,  all  the  unappropriated  public  do- 
main !  If  we  admit  that  the  soil  of  the  prairies  is  as  well  adapted  to  the 
artificial  gi-asses  as  that  of  New- York  or  New-England,  (a  point  which,  to 
say  the  least  of  it,  is  doubtful,  for  experience  has  shown  it  to  be  other- 
wise in  Michigan  and  som6  other  portions  of  the  West,)  the  only  peculiar 
and  exclusive  advantages  which  the  prairies  have  over  the  lands  of  the 
old  Middle  and  Eastern  States,  is  their  cheapness  and  freedom  from  rent 
where  unsettled.  Emigration  is  rapidly  abridging  the  latter  privilege, 
however — more  rapidly  than  can  well  be  appreciated  without  a  reference 
to  the  statistics  of  the  several  new  North-western  States.     And  it  will  be 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  99 

remembered  lliat  when   a  prairie  is  belted  round  by  population,  and  de 
pastured  by  numerous   flocks   and   herds,  its  better   grasses — at    least  for 
sheep — would    be    soon    exterminated,   and,  consequently,   th(»ueh  there 
misjht   be  ten   or  fifty  thousand  acres  of  common  and  free   pasturage,  it 
would  be  of  trifling  avail  to  the  flock-master. 

But  taking  this  privilecfe  for  what  it  is  worth,  and  taking  into  account 
the  dirt'erence  in  the  price  of  lands — calling  one  SI  25,  and  the  other  i-'^O 
per  acre — and  then,  in  my  judixnient,  the  Kastern  will  ])rove  cheaper,  all 
things  considered,  than  the  prairie  lands,  for  Sheep  Husbandry.  1  speak, 
of  course,  of  the  prairies  as  wholes — not  of  that  naiTow  marffin  of  each, 
which  is  attached  to  the  farms  lying  partly  on  the  outer  and  wooded  lands. 

The  prairies  must  first  be  j)lowed,  undoubtedly,*  to  seed  them  down  ef- 
fectually with  the  cultivated  grasses.  It  recjuires  from  four  to  six  yoke  of 
oxen,  says  Mr.  Solon  Kobinson,  to  break  up  from  one  to  one  and  a  half 
acres  per  diem.  Suppose  we  concede  this  expense  to  be  paid  for  by  the 
fii-st  grain  crop  used  as  a  covering  for  the  grass  ;  then  the  prairies  are  to 
be  fenced — adequate  buildings  and  other  fixtures  provided,  for  the  use  of 
a  family,  the  storage  of  hay,  the  shelter  of  animals,  &c.  Where  are  the 
materials  for  these  things  and  for  fuel  to  be  found,  on  a  plain  wholly  desti- 
tute of  trees,  unless  on  the  occasional  "  islands" — and  where  stones  are 
entirely  wanting,  excepting  sparsely  scattered  bowlders,  and,  very  larelv, 
rocky  ridges  or  cliffs  ?  Conceding  that  all  the  wood  on  the  margins  of  the 
prairies  will  not  be  wanted  for  the  local  supply — which,  as  a  general  thing, 
it  undoubtedly  will — what  would  be  the  cost  offences,  buildings  and  fuel, 
where  every  stick  was  transported  from  three  to  fifteen  niilest  bv  land 
carriage  1  Fuel,  it  has  been  said,  can  be  obtained  from  the  local  deposi- 
tions of  coal.  It  is  true  that  Illinois  and  south-western  Indiana,  at  feast, 
constitute  one  vast  coal  basin.  But  any  one  possessing  the  slightest  prac- 
tical acquaintance  ^vith  the  subject,  knows  that  it  requires  associated,  ag- 
gregate and  corporate  wealth,  to  carry  on  mining  operations  to  an  extent 
sufficient  to  steadily  and  efficiently  supply  a  considerable  market.  Even 
in  a  level  country  wBere  coal  is  covered  with  a  deep  superficial  deposi- 
tion of  earth,  individuals  may,  where  the  stratum  is  cut  through  or  uncov- 
ered in  ravines  or  the  beds  of  streams,  quany  their  own  coal  ;  but  such 
opportunities  are  rare.  The  idea  that  individuals  would  find  it  within  the 
compass  of  their  means  to  sink  vertical  shafts  and  raise  coal — each  one 
for  himself — on  the  Irosoms  of  the  prairies,  is  utterly  preposterous.  Coal 
has  never  yet  borne  a  price  in  our  c/des,  which  would  justify  even  Compa- 
nies in  lifting  it  by  vertical  shafts.  Let  the  coal,  however,  be  as  cheap  as 
it  may  be,  at  the  points  of  excavation,  the  mere  cartage  of  it,  for  the 
wants  of  a  five-months  winter — where  the  thermometer  frequently  indi- 
cates a  deirree  of  cold  from  5°  to  30^  below  0^ — will  be  an  on^roua.tax 
on  agricultuval  industry.  And  canals  can  never  furrow  the  bosoms  of 
most  of  those  vast  dry  plains  ;  and  ages  must  elapse  before  railroads  will 
so  interlace  them,  as  to  bring  coal  cheaply  within  the  reach  of  j^opulation 
scattered  over  their  entire  surfaces. 

If  we  suppose  that  ad#iquate  buildings  can  be  constructed,  with  sufii- 
cient  economy,  with  transported  timber,  the  question  still  remains,  What 
resource  is  there  for  fences  *  Fences  of  e;rrt^^^ave  been  proposed,  but  these 
\y\\\  not  stand  long  enough  to  pay  for  buildinjj,  unless  their  sides  are  con- 
structed at  such  an  angle  as  would  be  wholly  inadequate  to  "  turn"  sheep. 
Hedges,  besides  the  other  considerable  expense  of  cultivating  them,  would 

'  I  have  •een  it  Mated  th«t  the  seeds  of  the  cultivated  grasses  would  "catch  "  tovra  on  the  surface  of  the 
prsirie  sod  I  That  ihey  would  do  this  effectually  and  generally,  is  an  assertion  which  no  practical  fanner 
will  credit. 

t  Prmihea  are  from  one  to  thirty  miles  in  diameter. 


100  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

require  Jences  to  protect  tJievn  from  animals,  until  they  attained  a  consider- 
ble  size  ;  and  it  is  exceedingly  questionable  whether  any  good  hedge- 
plant  can  be  fotmd,  which  is  capable  of  resisting  the  rigorous  and  fickle 
climate  of  the  North-western  States.  The  different  thorns,  and  other  plants 
used  in  England,  have  generally  failed  in  all  the  Northern  States. 

Timber  7na}/  be  grown,  both  for  fuel,  houses  and  fences,  by  the  proper 
planting,  cultivation  and  protection  of  suitable  trees — but  the  expense  and 
delay  attending  this  course  would  raise  the  prairies  to,  or  above  the  price 
of  New-York  and  New-England  sheep  lands. 

It  has  been  claimed  that  the  shepherd  system  will  render  fences  unne- 
cessary, to  any  but  a  very  limited  extent,  on  the  prairies.  Now,  while  there 
is  but  here  and  there  a  settler  on  the  margins  of  some  of  these  great  plains, 
and  while  a  flock  of  sheep  can  constantly  seek  new  pasturage,  as  the  old 
fails,  over  a  boundless  range,  without  encountering  another  man's  flock, 
sheep  require  so  little  looking  after  that  the  shepherd  system  is  entirely 
feasible  and  economical,  notwithstanding  the  high  price  of  labor.  Under 
such  circumstances,  one  man,  provided  with  a  horse  and  a  brace  of  dogs, 
can  perhaps  give  the  necessary  attention  to  1,000  sheep,  and  have  some 
time  for  other  occupations.  But  this  state  of  things,  terminated  already  on 
most  of  the  prairies  this  side  of  the  Mississippi,  will  soon  be  unknowm 
even  on  those  in  the  teri'itories  bordering  on  the  Missouri  and  its  west- 
ern tributaries.  When  wool-growers  become  to  any  degree  numerous  on 
the  borders  of  the  prairies,  (as  they  certainly  soon  will,  if  these  regions  do 
possess  any  peculiar  advantages  for  this  branch  of  husbandry,)  how  are 
sheep  to  be  kept  separate,  without  that  multitude  of  shepherds  which  the 
same  services  require  in  Spain,  Germany,  or  Australia  ? — and  whose  labor 
and  ^bsistence*  would  cost  more,  during  a  series  of  years,  than  the J'c7ices 
in  regions  where  wood  and  stone  are  plenty. 

If  the  sheep  are  not  kept  separate — if  allowed  to  run  promiscuously  to- 
gether, how  could  the  property  of  each  holder  be  separated  out  of  the  vast 
general  flpck  on  a  prairie  five,  ten  or  fifteen  miles  in  mean  diameter,  for  the 
purposes  "'of  slaughter,  sale,  washing,  shearing,  foldiiJg,  or  any  other  inci- 
dent of  their  husbandry  1  What  protection  would  there  be  against  whole- 
sale theft,  when  no  man  could  count  his  scattered  flock  1  What  would 
prevent  promiscuous  interbi'eeding — and  what  object  would  it  be,  there- 
fore, to  attempt  to  procure  choice  breeds,  or  improve  those  already  pos- 
sessed] What  security  would  there  be  against  tflbse  vagabond  rams 
which  the  carelessness  of  some  individual  is  always  sure  to  let  loose  on 
a  neighborhood,  to  beget  lambs  on  every  poorly-fenced  farm,  to  perish  in 
the  storms  of  February  and  March  2 1  Finally,  how  could  contagious 
and — unless  promptly  checked — highly  malignant  and  fatal  diseases,  like 
the  scab  and  hoof-ail,  be  met  with  the  proper  vigor,  and  treated  with  the 
necessary  skill  and  care,  among  a  multitude  of  holders  scattered  over  miles 
of  surface ;  and  supposing  all  the  necessary  vigor,  skill  and  care  brought 
into  action,  what  would  they  all  avail  where  it  was  impossible  to  sepa 
rate  the  healthy  from  the  diseased — the  cured  fi-om  the  sick  ?!  Let  either 
of  these  diseases  break  out  a,mong  a  flock  of  teri%thousand  sheep,  nnming 
together  without  inclosures,  and  any  one  familiar  with  their  diagnosis  and. 
treatment,  knows  that  if  it  were  p(issible  to  drive  them  from  the  flock — 
which  is  extremely  doubtful — it  would  cost  far  more  than  the  value  of  the 


*  Costing  four  or  perhaps  six  times  more  in  this  than  in  the  former  countries. 

t  It  is  questionable  whether  in  a  flock  running  in  common  on  a  prairie,  one  ewe  in  ten  would  escape 
untimely  impregnation. 

X  Roth  of  those  diseases  are  susceptible  of  iieinj  communicated  fi-om  a  diseased  sheep  to  one  but 
recently  cured  of  them ;  consequently,  separation  is  the  only  safe  and  economical  method,  in  large  flocks, 
to  prevent  constant  rcinoculatioo. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  101 

sheep.  True,  these  diseases  have  not  yet  visited,  so  far  I  am  aware,  the 
Western  States.  The  scab  is,  in  fact,  but  little  known  at  present  in  any 
part  of  the  United  States.  It  may  at  any  time,  however,  reap])ear.*  Tlie 
hoof-ail,  after  the  fury  of  its  first  onset  is  over,  assumes  a  milder  form — 
one  which  does  not  lead  to  death,  if  remedies  are  applied  but  once  or 
twice  durintr  a  season — and  for  this  reason,  probably,  it  is  allowed  to 
linirer  in  many  flocks  in  the  sheep-prowing  regions  of  the  U.  S.  It  is  a 
strictly  contagious  disease,  and  one  animal  having  it  would  rapidly  innoc- 
late,  in  the  hot  weather  of  summer,  by  itself  and  others  receiving  the  dis- 
ease from  it,  one  or  five  hundred  thousand  sheep  having  access  to  each 
other.  A  few  years  since  it  was  a  stranger  to  this  region.  Like  the  small- 
pox when  unchecked  by  vaccination,  or  any  other  contagious  malady,  it 
gradually  progresses  from  neighborhood  to  neighborhood — from  State  to 
State.  Good  fences,  confinement  to  the  farm,  and  a  rigorous  system  of 
exclusion  of  all  strange  sheep,  may  and  do  save  many  flocks  from  its  vis- 
itation, but  accidents  and  acts  of  carelessness  are  constantly  occurring — 
and  so  long  as  they  continue  to  occur,  this  malady  will  continue  its  on- 
ward march.  I  consider  it  just  as  certain  that  it  will  visit  and  sweep  over 
the  North-western  States,  as  I  do  that  flocks  are  scattered  along  between 
those  States  and  the  present  seat  of  the  disease.  And  when  it  does  visit 
them,  if  it  finds  any  great  flocks  congregated  on  the  prairies,  not  in  a  situ- 
ation to  be  immediately  divided  into  small  flocks,  I  venture  to  predict  that, 
with  all  the  care  and  attention  which  the  sheep  7ciU  receive,  the  miserable 
animals,  eaten  while  yet  alive  by  maggots — and  festering  in  loathsome 
rottenness,  will  perish  in  multitudes — by  whole  flocks.t 

Another  objection  to  pasturing  in  common,  would  arise  in  the  difliiculty, 
if  not  impracticability,  of  establishing  and  evforcing  an  equitable  system 
of  joint  occupancy,  over  or  around  a  large  prairie,  so  as  to  compel  each 
farmer  to  regulate  the  number  of  his  flocks  and  herds  by  the  amount  of  cul- 
tivated pasture  possessed  by  him. 

But  if  we  concede  all  the  preceding  difficulties  to  be  removable,  or  even 
removed  ;  if  we  suppose  the  great  north-westera  plains  to  be  amply  sup- 
plied with  materials  for  building,  fences,  and  fuel — there  are  two  other  dif- 
ficulties in  the  way  of  their  becoming  the  best  class  of  sheep-walks,  which, 
from  their  nature  are  fixed,  and,  in  the  main,  unchangeable.  I  allude  to 
the  scarcity  of  water,, and  the  climate. 

On  the  "dry  and  rolling  prairies  "-^those  claimed  to  possess  the  greatest 
advantages  for  Sheep. Husbandry — nmning  water  is  scarce,  frequently  ex- 
tremely so.  The  occasional  streams  are  shallow  and  sluggish.  Washing 
wool  on  the  back  of  the  sheep,  conduces,  I  think,  to  the  health  of  the  ani- 
mal. It  causes  the  sheep  to  slear  much  more  easily — brings  the  wool  into 
a  better  marketable  condition,  and  diminishes  transportation.  Streams  of 
considerable  depth  and  rapidity  (where,  what  is  better,  falling  sheets  of  wa- 
ter over  mill  dams,  &c.,  cannot  be  found),  are  almost  indispensable  to  an 
effectual  performance  of  this  ptocess.  Sheep,  also,  in  many  periods  of 
weather,  rc^?/ /re  water  for  drink.  WHien  they  are  confined  to  dry  feed,  it 
is  indispensable,  in  the  absence  of  that  snow  which  is  often,  in  the  Eastern 
States,  made  a  substitute  ftjf  water.  Neither  are  attainable  during  consid- 
erable periods  each  winter,  on  the  pi'airies,  without  resort  to  a  pump — a 
sorr>' — and,  (includincr  the  time  of  working  it,  when  large  flocks  are  to  be 
watered),  an  expensive  and  troublesome  substitute  for  runnine:  water. 

Finally,  the   climate  of  the  Western   and  North-western   States  is  more 

*  Sincp  writine  thp  ahorp,  I  have  found,  to  my  utter  surprise,  that  this  disease  is  within  three  miles  of 
my  own  farm,  iii  a  flock  driven  into  the  country  last  f»ll. 

t  A  history  of  thU  disease  and  iu  gloomy  diagnosis,  when  neglected,  will  be  given  in  a  subsequent 
Letter. 


102  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

variable — exhibits  more  sudden,  and  greater  extremes,  than  the  chmates  of 
New- York  and  New-England.  The  weak  and  easily  prostrated  muscular 
and  vascular  system  of  the  sheep,  will  better  endure  great  extremes  of  con- 
tinuous heat  or  cold,  than  rapid  and  marked  variations  in  temperature. 
Subjected  to  the  latter,  catarrh  not  violent  enough  to  kill  in  its  inflammato- 
ry stage,  but  assuming  a  chronic  form — and  followed  by  a  slow  and  wast- 
ing debility,  ft-equently  attacks  flocks.  Sometimes  it  assumes  an  epizoo- 
tic and  malignant  character — as  during  the  past  winter — and  sweeps  away 
thousands  of  sheep. 

The  isothermal  line  (or  line  of  equal  mean  heat),  does  not  vary  particu- 
larly between  the  same  latitudes  in  New- York  or  Wisconsin — or  between 
Virginia  and  Missouri.  But  as  we  leave  the  ocean  and  other  large  bodies 
of  water,  the  isotheral  and  isocheimal  lines  are  found  to  diverge  more 
and  more  from  the  isothermal  one — and  the  range  of  the  thermometer  (the 
extremes  of  heat  and  cold  indicated  by  it),  rapidly  increases.  The  follow- 
ing Table  of  temperatures,  kept  by  officers  in  the  Army,  for  a  series  of  nine 
years,  is  fiom  Doct.  Forry's  excellent  work  on  the  "  Climate  of  the  United 
States,  &c."*  It  strikingly  illustrates  the  fact  asserted.  The  four  points 
specified  are  in  about  the  same  latitude. 


Fort  Wolcott,  Newport,  Rhode  Island 

Highest. 

Lowest. 

Annual  Range 

8.5 
87 
96 

104 

+9 
—  10 

—16 

78 
106 

120 

Coancil  Bluffs,  near  the  confluence  oi  ) 

the  Platte  and  Missouri  \ 

Doct.  FoiTy  states  that  the  mean  annual  range  of  the  themiometer  at  the 
following  places,  is  as  follows  :  at  Fort  Sullivan  (Eastport,  Me.)  it  is  104°, 
while  at  Forts  Snelling  (confluence  of  the  St.  Peter's  and  Mississippi  iii 
Iowa)  and  Howard,  (Green  Bay,  Wisconsin,)  in  about  the  same  latitude,  it 
is  respectively  119°,  and  123°. 

At  Fort  Preble  (Portland,  Me.)  Fort  Niagara  (near  the  mouth  of  the 
Niagara  River,  N.  Y.),  Fort  Constitution  (Portsmouth,  N.  H.)  it  is  99°, 
92°,  and  97°  ;  at  Fort  Crawford,  (confluence  of  the  Wisconsin  and  Missis- 
sippi Rivers  in  Wisconsin,)  on  the  same  parallel,  it  is  120°. 

The  above  instances  are  not  isolated  ones.  The  same  law  is  found — 
other  things  being  equal — to  generally  prevail  throughout  our  own,  and 
perhaps  all  other  countriest 

While  the  cold  of  the  Northern,  and  particularly  the  North-western 
States,  so  greatly  exceeds  that  of  the  Southern  States,  few  would  be  pre- 
pared for  the  proposition  that  the  extremes  of  heat  in  the  former,  often 
reach  points  unknown  many  degrees  farther  South  !  Yet  such  is  the 
fact  ! 

Fort  Snelling,  in  latitude  44°  53',  and  occupying  a  central  position  in  that 
vast  territory  lying  between  the  Great  Lakes  and  the  Missouri,  and  between 
the  41st  and  49th  parallels  of  latitude — and  which  may  therefore  be  pre- 
sumed, to  a  certain  extent,  to  afford  a  type  of  the  climate  of  that  whole  re- 
gion— feels  a  maximum  summer  hea^  of  93° — the  same  with  that  of  Wash- 
ington City,  in  latitude  38°  53',  and  Old  Poi^^  Comfort,  Va.,  in  latitude 
37°  2'.  At  Fort  Johnston,  on  the  Coast  of  North  Carolina,  in  latitude  34°, 
the  maximum  heat  is  but  90° ;  at  Fort  Moultrie,  in  Charleston  Harbor, 
in  latitude  32°  42',  it  is  also  90°  ;  at  Fort  Marion.  St.  Augustine,  Florida, 


*  See  the  above  narned  work.  p.  43.  I  am  also  indeotea  to  Doct.  Forry  for  all  the  records  of  thermometri- 
cal  observations,  at  the  U.  S.  military  posts,  which  are  subsequently  quoted. 

t  Local  exceptions  exist,  owina:  to  the  prevailins;  winds  and  other  causes.  For  example.  Fort  Howard 
is  much  nearer  a  large  body  of  water  than  Fort  Snelling.    Altitude  also  exerts  its  induence. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  ]03 

in  latitude  29°  50',  it  is  92^  ;  at  Foit  Brooke,  Tampa  Ray,  Florida,  in 
latitude  27"^  57',  it  is  92^  ;  and  at  Key  West,  the  most  southern  possession  of 
the  United  States,  it  is  !s9^  ! 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  summer  heat  rises  hisjher  at  Fort  Snellino' 
than  at  points  on  the  sea-board  more  than  20^  farther  8outh  ! 

Now  let  us  compare  their  winter  temperature.  The  minimum  tempera- 
ture of  Fort  Snellinijis — 2G<^»  That  at  Washington  is  +  9°;  Old  Point 
Comfort  -f  20^  ;  Fort  Johnston  +  28°  ;  Fort  Moultiie  +  21°  ;  St.  Augus- 
ine  +  39°  ;  Tampa  Bay  +  35°;  Key  West -|- 52°!  So  the  greatest  cold 
of  Fort  Snelliuij  is  35°  below  that  of  Washiniiton — the  most  northern  and 
by  far  the  coldest  of  these  posts — and  it  is  actually  78°  below  that  of  a  post, 
(Key  West),  which  its  summer  heat  exceeds  hy Jour  degrees! 

At  Fort  Howard,  latitude  44°  40',  the  seasons  are  even  more  violently 
contrasted.  Its  maximum  heat  is  98°,  its  minimum — 25.  At  Rock  Island, 
111.,  latitude  41°  28'  we  have  already  seen  that  the  maximum  is  96°,  the 
minimum  — 10°;  and  at  Council  Blurts,  latitude  41°  45',  the  maximum 
104^.  the  minimum  — 16°  !  At  Petite  Quoquille,  neai  New-Orleans,  the 
maximum  is  but  94^,  the  minimum  -{-  30°  ! 

And  an  examination  of  the  monthhj  variations  in  temperature,  at  our 
North-western  posts,  will  show  that  these  are  as  excessive,  in  proportion, 
as  those  of  the  year — and  their  suddenness  can  scarcely  be  credited  by 
an  inhabitant  of  southern  reeions — more  particularly  those  bordering  on 
the  Atlantic  and  Gulf  of  Mexico.! 

It  cannot  be  said  that  Fort  Snelling,  or  Rock  Island,  or  Council  Bluffs, 
have  the  summers  of  Italy  or  the  South  of  France — for  the  weather  is 
much  hotter  at  intervals,  and  is  subject  to  far  more  frequent,  abrupt  and 
violent  changes  than  in  the  latter :  nor  have  these  posts  winters  as  mild  as 
those  of  Europe,  many  degrees  farther  north.|  And  their  winter  exhibits 
the  same  sudden  and  violent  changes  which  characterize  the  summer 
climate. 

These  facts,  in  my  judgment,  fully  explain  the  remarkable  mortality  in 
the  flocks  which  have  been  carried  on  the  prairies,  and  which  is  usually 
attributed  to  over-driN-ing,  poisoning,  &c.  The  climate  itself,  though  not 
always  a  rapid,  ■will  prove  one  of  the  surest  oi  j^oisons,  unless  great  care — 
much  greater  than  is  requisite  even  on  the  bleak  and  sterile  hills  of  Nevir- 
England — is  taken  to  protect  them  from  its  deleterious  influences. 

Facts  suflScient  have  been  adduced,  probably,  to  convince  every  South 
em  man  how  much  he  has  to  fear,  ultimately,  from  prairie  competition,  in 
the  production  of  wool.  Having  thus  attempted  to  measure  the  capabili- 
ties of  the  various  regions  of  our  own  country  for  the  cheap  production 
of  this  staple,  it  may  be  well  to  turn  our  eyes  to  the  comparative  advan- 
tages of  other  countries  and  nations — and  to  ask  the  question  whether 
there  is  any  danser  to  the  domestic  producer  from  foreign  competition. 
This  can  be  done  but  briefly  and  rapidly  in  the  limits  which  1  have  assigned 
to  myself. 

It  will  not  be  necessary  for  the  purposes  of  the  present  inqniiy,  to  ex- 
amine the  climate,  flora,  &cc.,  of  all  portions  of  the  world.  The  wool- 
producing:  countries — those  which  have  natural  advantages  to  enable  them 
to  produce  wool  cheaply  enough,  and  in  sufllicicnt  quantities,  to  stand  any 
chance  in  the  general  competition,  are  mainly  embraced  in  a  belt  or  region 

(•  It  win  be  nndergtood  that  the  sign  —  before  the  number  of  deerees,  indicates  that  it  is  that  number  of 
deerees  btlme  Zero,  and  the  f^iin  -f-  used  here,  in  the  preceding  Table,  and  in  the  subsequent  paraLTiijih,  to 
avoid  confusion.  «i(niitie9  a>>"rr  /.rrn.  Piihtishrr.] 

t  Id  the  Rei>ort  of  the  Fi.^hine  Creek  Aericnltural  Poriety.  of  your  State,  1P43.  the  Commiitee  actually 
•oinplain  of  the  variablcnes*  of  the  climate  !     Truly,   "we  can  only  jiidee  by  compnrieon  !' 

I  The  mean  winter  tem^>ernnire  of  North  Cafie  in  Norway,  latitude  71°,  is  23^  72 — that  of  Fort  Snelling 
13°  Do— that  of  CouncU  BlaSs,  24=  47— that  of  Rock  Island,  MO  86. 


104  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH 

about  15°  in  width,  on  each  side  of  and  at  varying  distances  from  the 
Equator.  The  variation  corresponds  with  the  variation  of  temperature; 
in  other  words,  the  wool  zone  is  bounded  by  isothermal  instead  of  lat- 
itudinal hnes.  Commencing  on  the  eastern  side  of  each  continent,  in  the 
northern  hemisphere,  between  about  30°  and  45°,  it  bears  northwardly, 
and  strikes  their  eastern  shores,  say  between  40°  and  55°.  In  the  south, 
ern  hemisphere,  I  am  not  aware  that  the  isothermal  deviations,  in  the 
corresponding  parallels,  have  been  noted — nor  are  they  important,  so 
small,  comparatively,  is  the  latitudinal  area  of  the  surfaces  included  be- 
tween them. 

Independent  of  minor  deviations  everywhere  exhibiting  themselves  in  the 
isothermal  lines,  more  important  local  exceptions  exist  in  many  places,  owing 
to  elevation,  proximity  of  bodies  of  water,  prevailing  winds,  &c.  Thus,  south 
of  latitude  30°  in  North  America,  the  elevations  of  the  Cordilleras  give  the 
mild  weather  of  the  temperate,  and  even  the  rigors  of  the  frozen  zone; 
and  the  same  is  true  of  the  Andes  of  South  America — in  Bolivia,  Peru, 
Ecuador  and  New-Grenada — in  the  same  latitudes,  where,  at  the  eastern 
foot  of  these  declivities,  the  tropical  sun  burns  up,  as  with  fire,  the  vei'dure 
of  the  vast  llanos  of  Brazil  and  Venezuela,  and  exhales  death  from  the 
pestilent  fens  of  Guiana,  and  the  reptile-teeming  marshes  of  the  Amazon, 
The  same  exceptions  exist  on  the  Eastern  Continent,  wherever  mountain 
chains  rise  to  sufficient  elvations  to  bring  to  bear  this  well  known  and  uni- 
form law  for  the  depression  of  temperature,  albeit  in  tropical  or  sub- 
tropical regions.  The  steady  and  mild  climate  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  and 
its  continual  and  peculiar  motion  on  the  west  of  Europe,  preventing  the 
ice,  which  the  north  wind  wafts  down  from  the  Arctic  seas,  from  lodging 
itself,  or  even  approaching*  those  shores,  strongly  influences  the  climates 
of  the  British  Islands  and  Norway,  rendering  them  more  temperate  than 
others  many  degrees  farther  south  in  the  interior  of  Europe  and  Asia. 
Eastern  Prussia,  and  Polish  Russia,  are  rendered  disproportionably  cold 
by  the  prevailing  wind,  which  sweeps  without'  resistance  from  the  bosom 
of  the  Arctic  Ocean  to  the  Carpathian  Mountains  :  and  the  north-east  wind, 
laden  with  the  frosts  of  Siberia,  and  untempered  by  the  southern  winds, 
from  which  it  is  cut  off  by  the  lofty  Altay  Mountains,  carries  a  cold  under 
which  men,  nay  whole  caravans, t  perish  in  Persia,  in  the  same  latitude 
with  Northern  Africa,  and  the  confines  of  the  burning  Sahara.^  The  Cas- 
pian and  Black  Seas — Mounts  Caucasiis  and  Taurus  prevent  Asiatic  Turkey, 
and  Mount  Htemus,  European  Turkey — from  experiencing  similar  cold. 
The  same  wind  entering  Europe,  reduces  the  temperature  of  its  eastern 
considerably  below  that  of  its  western  confines  ;  and  its  effects  are  felt  more 
or  less  westwardly,  in  proportion  as  its  course  is  arrested  by  mountains. 
The  climate  of  Silesia  and  Saxony  is  far  colder  and  more  mutable  than 
than  that  of  Bohemia,  from  which  they  are  only  separated  by  the  Erzge- 
birge  and  Riesengebirge.  In  Northern  European  Russia,  in  Finland  and 
the  basin  of  the  Dwina — in  the  same  latitudes  where  Norway  exhibits  the 

*  Make  Brun'a  Geocraphy — y4r«.  Climate  of  Europe.  t  Sir  Robert  Kerr  Porter. 

I  From  the  delinlnful  Arabian  Nights — from  the  not  less  delightful  strains  of  Lalla  Rookh — from  n  thou- 
sand other  (sources,  remembered  and  uniemembered — song,  fiction  and  Oriental  tale — I'ersia  always  rises 
before  fancy's  eye  a  realm  and  clime  of  beauty^j 

" deep  myrrh-thickets  blowing  round 

The  Ftately  cedar,  tamarisks, 
Thick  rnsories  of  scented  thoni, 
Tall  orient  shrubs,  and  obelisks 

Graven  with  emlilcms  of  the  time. 

In  honor  of  the  golden  prime. 

Of  good  Haroun  Alraschid." 

There  are  portions  of  Persia  where  the  soil  is  rich  and  the  climate  deUghtful — but,  as  a  whole,  it  is  a  bleak, 

sterile,  unfruitful  country— large  portions  of  it  cov<!red  with  rugged  mountains  or  saline  deserts — with  a 

climate  remarkable  for  the  rapidity  and  extent  of  its  varialious. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  105 

flora  of  Northern  Germany — spirits  freeze  and  quicksilver  becomes  malle- 
able.    But  it  is  unnecessary  to  continue  this  enumeration. 

Let  us  now  take  a  rapid  view  of  the  wool-growinir  countries  embraced 
in  the  specified  zones.  And  we  will  first  complete  the  description  of  our 
own  continent. 

Mexico — that  portion  of  it  north  of  latitude  30"^ — bears  too  close  a  re- 
semblance to  our  Western  Territories  conterminous  with  it,  to  recjuire 
separate  notice. 

But  a  small  proportion  of  the  pfreat  peninsula  of  South  America  is  in- 
cluded between  the  30th  and  45th  parallels  of  latitude,  and  admitting, 
what  seems  probable,  that  the  contiguity  of  two  great  oceans  would  so  af- 
fect the  climate  as  to  carry  the  northern  lino  of  the  wool  zone  a  little 
nearer  to  the  Equator,  this  zone  would  still  embrace  but,  say,  two-thirds 
of  Buenos  Ayres,  nearly  all  of  Chili,  the  little  State  of  Uraguay,  a  mere 
point  of  Brazil,  and  the  north  of  Patagonia. 

The  growing  of  wool  has  already  been  commenced  on  the  vast  pampas* 
of  Buenos  Ayres — though  as  yet  to  a  but  limited  extent.  In  1832,  the  ex- 
port of  wool  to  Great  Britain  was  32,052  arrobas  ;t  but  the  same  vear 
the  import  of  English  woolens  considerably  exceeded  it  in  value.  The 
United  States  Tariff  on  foreign  wools  costing  7  cents  per  pound  or  under, 
being  then  but  5  per  cent,  ad  valorem,  the  importation  of  wool  of  that 
quality  from  the  Argentine  Republic|  into  our  country  in  the  fiscal  year 
ending  June  30,  1846,  was  4,295,659  lbs.,  and  of  wool  costing  more  than 
7  cents  (paying  a  duty  of  30  per  cent,  ad  valorem,  and  a  specific  duty  of 
3  cents  per  pound)  the  import  was  43,831  lbs.|| 

The  pampas  resemble  the  Noith  American  prairies,  being  plains  cov- 
ered with  wild  grasses,  and  entirely  destitute  of  timber.  The  land  is  di- 
vided by  the  Government  into  estates  a  league  square  (5,760  acres,)  and 
sold  at  10  cents  per  acre.  Until  recently  the  pampas  were  depastured  al- 
most exclusively  by  horses  and  cattle,  and  so  plenty  and  cheap  were 
they,  that  they  were  frequently  killed  for  their  hides  alone.  The  herds- 
men and  shepherds  live  in  miserable  huts,  and  temporary  folds  are  formed 
of  the  tiiinks  of  peach-trees.  Western  or  south-western  winds  called  ^7a7;i- 
peros  often  sweep  the  country  with  destructive  fury,  and  there  are  in- 
stances in  which  flocks  of  sheep  have  been  forced  by  them  into  streams 
and  have  perished. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  pampas  are,  on  the  north,  the  Gauchos — descend- 
ants of  Spaniards — who,  living  in  the  saddle,  and  content  to  subsist  on 
jerked  beef  and  cold  water — having  few  wants,  and  none  which  the  lasso 
•will  not  supply — lead  a  life  of  wild  and  roving  libeity.  Tribes  of  mount- 
ed Indians,  wild,  predatory,  and  constantly  at  war  with  the  Gauchos,  oc- 
cupy the  southern  pampas. 

The  facilities  for  producing  wool  here  closely  resemble  those  of  the 
North  American  prairies,  though  wood  is  wanting  over  much  more  exten- 
sive tracts.  The  price  of  land  on  the  pampas  is  less,  but  they  are  more 
remote  from  markets,  as  there  is  little  or  no  manufacturing  done  in  South 
America.  Besides  the  cost  of  transportation,  wool  must  pay,  before  reach- 
ing market,  the  duties  levied  by  some  foreign  nation.  The  duty  in  the 
United  States,  by  the  Tariff  of  1846,  is  30  per  centum  ad  valorem,  with- 
out regard  to  quality,  thus  discontinuing  that  great  discrimination  in  favor 
of  the  coarse   article,  which  allowed   a  large  proportion  of  the  wools  of 

*  This  wold,  like  Xlanot  in  the  Northern  Stntes  of  South  AmericB.  nnd  proirien  in  the  N'onhWeFfem 
United  Slates,  is  applied  to  extensive  plains.    Those  in  the  North  of  Chili  are  called  jMiapM  del  tacramenU^ 
t  Mcf:ullocli'8  Commercial  Dirtionnry.      An  arroha  is  101{  ]hi>.  avoirdupois, 
t  Kuenos  Ayres  ic  co  known  in  all  ilie  offirial  dorumenu  of  the  United  States. 
II  Report  of  the  Register  of  the  Treasury,  Dec..  1846. 


106  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

Buenos  Ayres,  Africa,  Turkey,  &c.,  to  enter  our  ports  under  a  merely 
nominal  duty.  The  present  Tariff  raised  the  duty  on  these  wools  to  six 
times  the  former  rate,  i.  e.,  on  wools  costing  7  cents,  from  3^  mills  to  2  cents 
and  1  mill  per  pound.  This  will  make  an  important  difference  to  the  for- 
eign grower  and  exporter.  If  these  wools  continue,  as  hitherto,  to  be  im- 
ported in  the  grease  and  dirt,  from  which  state  they  lose  about  half  weight 
in  being  brought  as  clean  as  well  washed  United  States  wool,  every  pound 
of  them  so  imported  will  actually  pay  a  double  duty,  or  4  cents  and  2  mills, 
half  of  this  being  paid  for  dirt.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  they  are  washed 
prior  to  exportation,  a  reduction  of  50  per  cent,  in  their  weight  will  call 
for  a  corresponding  advance  in  their  price.  Wool  now  costing  7  cents  at 
Buenos  Ayres  or  Smyrna,  will  cost  14  cents ;  and  if  this  is  exported  into 
the  United  States,  it  must  pay  a  duty  of  30  per  cent.,  or  4  cents  and  2 
mills  per  pound.  It  will  be  seen,  therefore,  that  the  lowest  priced  foreign 
wools  cannot  enter  our  country  without  paying  about  this  duty  (4  cents) 
per  pound,  unless  under  fraudulent  invoices  ;  and  this,  as  has  been  already 
shown,  is  halft\\e  cost  of  producing  wool  throughout  a  region  of  the  United 
States  much  greater  in  extent  than  all  that  poition  of  South  America  in- 
cluded within  the  wool-growing  zone. 

The  English  duty  on  wools  costing  less  than  24  cents  is  1  cent  per 
pound  ;  over  24  cents,  2  cents  per  pound.  The  French  duty  is  22  per 
cent,  ad  t^alorem,  without  regard  to  cost. 

The  security  of  life  and  property  is  far  less  in  Buenos  Ayres  than  in  the 
United  States ;  the  character  of  the  agricultural  population  less  industri- 
ous, less  skillful,  and  less  methodical.  Capitalists  from  other  countries 
may,  on  account  of  the  cheapness  of  the  lands,  make  it  profitable  to  pur- 
chase large  estancias,  and  raise  vast  flocks  of  sheep  ;  and  this  has  already 
been  done  by  a  few  Europeans.  But  the  pampas  are  subject  to  the  same 
general  objections*  with  the  North  American  prairies,  and  when  the  con- 
tagious diseases,  adverted  to  in  speaking  of  the  latter,  once  obtain  a  foot- 
ing on  them,  it  is  not  difficult  to  predict  how  those  diseases  will  be  en- 
countered by  the  wild  and,  so  far  as  agricultural  labor  is  concerned,  indo- 
lent Gaucho.  The  difficulty  of  encountering  them,  with  the  best  skill  and 
industi-y,  under  such  circumstances — of  preventing  their  unlimited  spread, 
constant  return  and  frightful  mortality,  on  plains  without  inclosures,  where 
flocks  have  access  to  each  other,  or  straggling  sheep  from  one  flock  are 
liable,  by  every-day  casualties,  to  be  thrown  among  those  of  another  flock 
— has  been  stated. 

It  is  not  improbable  that  while  land  remains  so  low,  and  the  sheep 
healthy,  the  actual  cost  of  production  in  Buenos  Ayres  will  be  somewhat 
less  than  in  the  United  States  ;  but  taking  all  things  into  consideration,  and 
looking  to  the  future,  I  would  sooner  advise  any  one,  even  in  an  exclu- 
sively economical  point  of  view,  to  purchase  the  cheap  lands  of  our  own 
Southern  States  for  the  objects  of  Sheep  Husbandry,  than  any  part  of 
South  America.  With  the  present  duty  and  the  cost  of  transportation 
against  the  latter,  thei-e  is  no  fear  that  it  can  undersell,  in  otir  markets, 
the  produce  of  the  former.  The  7-cent  South  American  wools,  washed, 
will  cost  14  cents,  and  washing  will  add  about  1  cent  a  pound  to  the  cost.t 
Add  another  cent  for  agent's  commission,  and  also  the  U.  S.  duty,  and  the 
wool  is  brought  to  20  cents  a  pound,  independent  of  freight  and  insurance, 
which  will  carry  it,  I  should  think,  to  about  two  shillings.  The  United 
States  producer  can  furnish  wool  of  much  better  quality  than  the  coarse 
South  American  article,  at  this  price,  and  realize  a  high  profit. 

'  Unless  it  be  climatic  ones.    On  this  point  I  have  no  infoimation. 

i  This  will  be  attended  with  much  trouble  on  large  portions  of  the  pampas,  as  on  our  prairies. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE   SOUTH.  ]  07 

But  is  it  said  that  the  7-cent  South  American  wool  sold  in  our  markets 
in  1S45  and  1S4G,  was  not  all  coarse — that  much  of  it  was  actually  of  a 
superior  quality  ?  This  is  true.  Many  of  the  bales  were  jtarthj  made  up 
of  an  article  ranging  with  American  Merino  and  Saxony  wools.  But  there 
is  little  doubt  that,  to  say  the  least  of  it,  in  rcry  viany  such  cases,  if  the  in- 
voice of  the  wool  was  not  fraudulent,  nominally,  it  was  rendered  so,  in 
reality,  by  a  previous  fraud.  The  ntodus  operandi  is  said  to  have  been  as 
follows  :  A  sends  his  agent  B  to  Buenos  Ayres  with  instnictions  to  pur- 
chase the  best  lots  of  wool  and  pay  their  market  price;  and  he  farther 
gives  him  secret  instructions  to  re-sell  these  wools  to  C  (a  second  agent) 
for  7  cents  per  pound,  ostensibly  in  the  ordinary  course  of  business.  The 
Second  accent  C  is  subsequently  sent  out  to  buy,  with  no  ivfurmation  of  the 
mission  of  his  predecessor ;  if  he  suspect  the  fraud,  he  has  no  ilircct  Inowl- 
edge  of  it,  and  having  purchased  wool  for?  cents  which  cost  B  15  cents,  he 
can  invoice  it  at  the  former  rate  and  sujiport  the  invoice  by  his  oath. 

I  have  no  direct  proof  of  an  instance  of  this  species  of  fraud.  The 
commonness  of  such  transactions,  however,  was  claimed  to  be  a  matter 
of  perfect  notoriety,  by  individuals  who  had  investigated  the  subject. 
Allegations  of  this  kind  have  appeared  again  and  again  in  the  most 
public  manner,  and  I  have  yet  to  listen  to  the  first  denial  of  them,  public 
or  private.  Fraudulent  invoices  are  no  new  thing  in  our  commercial  his- 
tory,* and  the  great  discrimination  made  by  the  Tarift'of  1842,  in  the  du- 
ties on  wool,  offered  the  strongest  temptations  to  them.  The  same  kind 
of  fi-aud  may  be  still  practiced,  but  the  inducement  to  risk  seizure  for  un- 
dervaluation is  less  where  the  diminution  of  duty  is  merely  p?o  rata  with 
the  diminution  of  cost,  and  where  getting  the  latter  invoiced  at  as  low  a 
rate  as  7  cents,  is  not  followed,  as  before,  by  escape  from  a  specific  duty 
and  a  sudden  descent  o?  Jive-sixt?is  in  the  ad  valorem  one. 

I  am  free  to  confess,  however,  that  it  has  always  seemed  to  me  that  a 
deteiTnination  to  vigorously  and  faithfully  discharge  their  duty  in  the 
premises,  with  a  competent  ptracticaJ  l-noirledge  of  the  quality  of  the  arti- 
cle, in  the  proper  Custom-House  officials,  would  always,  in  an  unmanu- 
factured staple,  and  one  so  readily  classified  and  valued  as  wool,  be  a  suf- 
ficient safeofuard  against  fraudulent  undervaluation,  to  any  extent,  in  the 
invoice.  They  might  perhaps  be  undervalued  one  or  two  cents  on  the 
pound,  without  making  a  case  strr)ng  and  obvious  enough  to  justify  ap- 
praisers in  lejjalizing  a  seizure;  but  it  is  not  for  gains  like  these  that  per- 
juries would  be  ventured  upon,  or  double  accents  and  other  expensive  ar- 
ranjroments  for  the  perpetration  of  more  roundabout  frauds,  be  found 
profitable. 

Not  having  room,  within  the  limits  of  this  letter,  to  discuss  the  capa- 
bilities of  the  Old  World  to  compete  with  us  in  wool  growing,  I  will 
reser\e  that  subject  for  my  next. 


*  If  «ny  one  drenm*  they  are.  let  him  renri  b  speerh  on  the  Tnriff  made  hy  Mr.  Rachnnan  in  the  U.  3. 
Senate  in  184v! — another  by  Mr.  Webster  on  ad  ealorcm  liuiifs,  miide  in  the  game  body  July  Ui,  164C,  &ic. 


108  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


LETTER  IX. 

PROSPECTS  OF  THE  WOOL  MARKET— FUTURE  DEMAND  AND  SUPPLY. 

The  Imports  and  Exports  of  Trans-Atlantic  Nations... Means  of  ascertaining  their  Comparative  Produc- 
tion...Table  of  the  Imports  of  EngUind... Amount  of  Wool  grown  in  the  United  Kingdom,  Consumption, 
E.xport,  Facilities,  including  Soils  and  Climate,  for  its  Cheap  Production,  and  Prospect  of  its  Increase  or  Uim- 

inufion Same  of  France — Same  of  .Spain-  Same  of  Italy — Same  of  Turkey  in  Europe— Same  of  Germany, 

includinK  Prussia  and  Austria,  with  the  exception  of  Hungary — Same  of  Hungary — Same  of  Russia — Same 
of  Asia  Minor — Same  of  Persia — Same  of  Independent  'J'artary— Same  of  Afghanistan  and  Beloochistan — 
Same  of  Thibet,  Little  Bucharia,  and  the  remainder  of  China — Same  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Ho])e— Same  of 
Australia  and  Van  Diemen's  Land. .  .Conclusions  in  regard  to  Comparative  Facilities,  etc..  of  above  Na- 
tions and  the  United  States. ..The  Northern  States  can  compete  with  the  most  favored  of  them — and  of 
course  the  South  can,  to  much  greater  advantage.. -The  South  might  safely  embark  in  Wool-Growing,  re- 
lying on  the  European  Market  alone..  .Rapid  Extension  of  that  Market  Past  and  Future.,  .liut  the  Ameri- 
can Wool-Grower  is  not  compelled  to  seek  a  Foreign  Market...  Our  Production  does  not  meet  the  Demand 
of  our  own  Manufactories. .  .Table  of  the  Imports  of  Wool  into  the  United  States. .  .Table  showing 
whence  we  Import  Wool..  .Letter  fiom  Samuel  Lawrence,  Esq.,  showing  the  increasing  call  for  Man 
ufactories — The  Stability  of  existing  ones — and  their  ability  to  compete  with  those  of  Foreign  Countries.. 
Extent  of  our  Consumption  of  Woolens  above  the  Supply  made  by  our  Manufactories..  .Table  of  Imports 
of  W^jolens.  ..Probable  Increase  of  our  Manufactories..  .Reflections  on  the  Taritf.  ..Rapidly  Increasing 
Consumption  of  our  Population — Amf>unt  Consumed  per  head. . -Table  of  Increase  of  our  Population... 
Future  Increase. .  .The  Amount  of  Wool  Necessary  at  various  Future  Periods. 

Dear  Sir :  Probably  there  are  few  men  who  now  dream  of  any  danger 
to  the  wool-grower  of  the  United  States,  in  the  home  market,  from  trans- At- 
lantic competition.  But  there  is  another  point  of  view,  in  which  a  glance 
at  the  facilities  of  the  eastern  nations,  for  the  production  of  this  staple,  may 
not  be  uninteresting.  JSIay  we  not  undersell  them  ivith  the  raw  material,  in 
their  own  markets  !  He  who  carefully  and  intelligently  examines  all  the 
facts  involved  in  the'solutiou  of  this  question,  will  find,  in  spite  of  the  vague 
popular  impressions  which  prevail  on  the  subject,  that  so  far  at  least  as 
those  nations  are  concerned,  which  noiv  produce  the  greatest  amount  of 
the  wool  which  supplies  the  markets  of  the  Old  World,  the  United  States 
can,  if  satisfied  with  equal  profits,  easily  undersell  them. 

As  an  importer  of  the  raw  and  exporter  of  the  manufactured  article, 
Eno^land  occupies  the  fix'St  place.  In  these  particulars,  she  probably  ex- 
ceeds, by  fully  one-half,  all  the  other  nations  of  the  Old  World.  France 
ranks  next,  and  largely  takes  precedence  of  the  remaining  nations.  Hol- 
land, though  shorn,  by  disastrous  political  revolutions,  of  much  of  her  an- 
cient impoitance  in  this  class  of  manufactures,  still  maintains  a  trade  of 
some  magnitude.  Several  of  the  German  and  Prussian  States  export  par- 
ticular descriptions  of  woolens ;  Italy  sends  out  some  light  cloths  ;  and 
Turkey  the  carpets  of  that  name.  A  full  exhibit  of  the  exports  of  all  the 
wool-producing  nations,  would  not,  of  course,  lead  us  to  an  accurate  knowl- 
edge of  the  amount  of  their  production — for  there  is  no  one  which  does 
not  manufacture  the  raw  material  to  some  extent.  But  with  what  knowl- 
edge we  can  obtain  of  their  manufactures,  the  former  information  would 
enable  us  to  asceitain,  approximately  at  least,  the  amount  of  their  produc- 
tion. This  is  all  that  is  necessary  for  our  present  purpose,  for  we  do  not 
now,  in  reality,  so  much  seek  their  actual  as  Xhe\v  comparative  production. 

England,  as  I  have  befoi'e  remarked,  is  the  great  importer  and  exporter. 
Her  duties  on  imported  wool  are,  as  has  been  seen,*  exceedingly  low,  and 
she  makes  no  discrimination  in  this  particular,  in  relation  to  bottoms,  or 
the  places  of  export.t     The  vastness  and  variety  of  her  demand  give  a 

*  See  Letter  VIII. 

t  With  the  exception,  of  course,  of  her  own  Colonies,  from  which  it  1$  exported  free. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  109 


greater  certainty  to  the  exporter  of  prompt  and  favorable  sales,  in  her 
markets,  than  in  those  of  any  other  nation.  France  possesses  the  advan- 
tage of  maritime  contis^uity,  for  securing  the  raw  ])roduct  of  the  nations 
bordering  on  the  Mediterranean  ;  and  therefore,  in  some  instances,  as  in 
the  case  of  Turkey,  she  receives  more  of  that  product,  in  proportion  to  her 
manufacturing  consumption,  tlian  England.  But  in  one  respect  the  latter 
has  tlie  advantage  in  securing  the  trade  of  the  Levant.  Between  the  na- 
tural products,  and,  of  consecjuence,  the  exports  of  France  and  those  of 
the  otlier  nations  bordering  on  the  Mediterranean,  there  exists  a  great  simi- 
larity. She  cannot  send  her  wines  to  Hungary,  nor  these  nor  her  silks  to 
Italy,  in  exchange  for  wool.  Her  fruits,  and  indeed  all  of  her  natural  pro- 
ducts are  the  same  with  those  of  the  whole  south  of  Europe.  England, 
the  producer,  and  the  great  mart  of  the  products  of  Northern  Eui'()pe,can 
offer  these  in  the  Mediterranean  on  better  terms  than  France  ;  and  in  the 
manufacture  of  cotton  goods,  the  main  article  of  dress,  and  consequently 
one  of  the  great  ones  of  import  throughout  the  whole  Levant,  the  former 
possesses  a  decided  superiority.  All  these  natural  and  artificial  (-ircumstances 
have  their  weight,  sometimes  in  favor  of  one,  and  sometimes  the  other  of 
these  nations,  in  determining  the  course  of  trade — and  habit,  ancient  com- 
mercial associations,  and  even  national  predilections  also  throw  their  weight 
into  the  scale.  In  looking  at  the  subject  as  a  whole,  however,  all  these 
facts,  unless  in  a  very  few  instances,  so  far  offset  each  other,  that  in  obtain- 
ing a  view  of  the  wool  trade  of  England — her  imports — we  obtain  a  suffi- 
ciently accurate  picture  or  index  of  the  inoportlanahle  exports  of  all  the 
nations  of  the  Old  World. 

Before  proceeding  to  ascertain  the  actual  facilities  of  the  several  coun- 
tries named  in  the  Table,  for  the  puiposes  of  wool-growing,  it  may  be  well 
to  briefly  glance  at  that  of  England  herself. 

Mr.  Luccock*  estimated  the  produce  of  wool  in  Encrland  and  Wales,  in 
1800,  to  be  393,236  packs,t  or  94,376,640  lbs. ;  and  in  1828,  Mr.  Hubbard  % 
placed  it  at  463,169  packs,  or  111,160,560  lbs.  According  to  a  Table 
formed  by  order  of  a  Committee  of  the  House  of  Lords,  the  same  year, 
the  quantity  produced  on  an  average  of  years,  in  England,  is  111,160,560 
lbs.  According  to  Mr.  Luccock's  estimate,  (in  1800.)  the  number  of  sheep 
in  England  and  Wales  was  26,148,463.  It  is  not  thought  to  have  varied 
much  since.  The  Encyclopaedia  Americana, ||  (published  1835,)  on  the 
authority  of  the  Edinburgh  Encyclopaedia,  sets  down  the  then  present 
number  of  sheep  in  the  United  Kingdom  as  follows :  in  Scotland  3,500,000  ; 
in  Ireland  probably  under  2,000,000  ;  in  England  and  Wales  the  same 
number  as  in  the  time  of  Mr.  Luccock; — so  that  the  aggregate  Tnmi])er 
would  be  about  32,000,000.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  England  and  Wales, 
with  an  area  much  less  than  that  of  Virginia, §  have  almost  7,000,000 
more  sheep  than  the  whole  number  in  the  United  States  in  1839  ! 

Large  as  is  the  amount  of  wool  produced  in  the  L'nited  Kingdom,  it 
does  not  meet,  in  the  number  of  pounds,  the  amount  required  for  woolens 
consumed  in  the  United  Kingdom  alone.^f  It  is  true  that  England  has 
exported  some  combing  wool,  of  her  own  growth,  to  meet  the  wants  of  a 
certain  class  of  manufactories  (of  worsted)  in  France,  which  could  not  ob- 
tain stock  of  equal  quality  in  any  otlier  quarter;  and  she  has  also  expf)rted 
considerable  quantities  of  her  own  coarse  short  wools.  Of  the  latter,  I 
am  ashamed  to  say,  the  United  States  hax-e  been  consideral)le  purchasei-s. 
The  whole  export  of  England,  in  1824,  amounted  to  but  little  over  18,000 

*  Pee  Lurcock  on  Wool,  p.  311  and  Table.  f  A  pack  of  wool  ib  ?40  lbs. 

I  Quoted  by  Mr.  Bischoff— Sen  vol.  ii.,  Appendix.  ||  KncycIopB"dia  Amenrana— art.  tihcep  Rauing. 

i  The  area  of  Viri^inia  is  TO.lKX)  equare  miles,  that  of  England  and  Wales  6O,0UO. 

Tl  See  Bischoff,  vol.  ii.,  p.  171. 


110 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


lbs.  From  that  time  it  has  gradually  increased,  and  in  1838  it  reached 
5,851,340  lbs. ;  in  1839,  4,603,799  lbs. ;  in  1840,  4,810,387  lbs.*  Under  the 
last  year  of  the  late  Tariff,  we  received  from  England,  of  wools  not  costing 
to  exceed  7  cents  per  pound,  1,188,800  lbs.,  and  of  those  exceeding  7 
cents,  28,406  lbs.;  and  from  Scotland,  of  the  cheaper  class,  21,132  Ibs.t 
This,  however,  only  shows  a  surplus  in  kind,  not  in  quantity.  The  Eng- 
lish short  wools  have,  as  has  been  abundantly  shown  by  the  testimony 
of  her  most  eminent  manufacturers,!  a  harshness  and  want  of  felting  2>rop- 
erties  which  render  them  unfit,  unmixed  with  a  better  stamp  of  foreign 
wools,  for  any  but  the  very  lowest  description  of  cloths  and  stuffs,  such  as 
blankets,  baizes,  army  cloths,  flushings  or  bearskins,  &c.  Nor  will  they 
make  ^^?7'/?«e  articles,  even  of  these  low  descriptions.  England,  therefore, 
after  consuming  such  portions  of  these  wools  as  she  can,  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  the  above-named  and  similar  articles,  and  by  mixing  them,  in  the 
nature  of  an  alloy,  with  better  foreign  wools  in  a  low  class  of  fabrics,  such 
as  flannels,  livery  and  sergeant's  cloth,  etc.,  exports  the  balance  to  such 
nations  as  d,ve  foolisli  enough  to  purchase  it.|| 

The  following  Table,  compiled  from  official  soui'ces,  from  Bischoff's 
"  Comprehensive  History  of  the  Woolen  and  Worsted  Manufactures, 
&c.,"§   gives  the   imports  of  England  every  fifth  year  from  1810  to   1840, 

TABLE  No.  8. 


Countries  fin.which  Imp'ted 

Russia 

Norway 

Denmark 

Sweden 

Prussia 

Germany 

Holland 

Belgium 

France 

Portugal 

Spain 

Gibraltar 

Italy 

Malta 

Ionian  Isles 

Morea,  &c 

Turkey 

Syria 

Cape  of  Good  Hope 

Africa  other  parts 

Ht.  Helena 

East  Indies 

New  South  Wales 

Van  Diemen's  Land 

Port  Philip 

Swan  River 

South  Australia 

British  America 

British  West  Indies 

United  States  of  America. 

Guatemala 

Colombia 

Brazil 

Rio  de  la  Plata 

Chili 

Peru 

Mexico 

Guernsey  and  Man 

Total  Pounds  weiirht. 


1810. 


32,149 

11.930 

351,741 

15,424 

123,057 

778,835 

[        2,873 

3,018  961 

5,9.52,407 

349,053 

21,.554 

40,040 


29,717 


701 
167 


1,217 

2,894 


43,014 
73,159 


41,407 


10.914,137 


1813 


297.H11 
40.984 

424,82-- 
32,889 

10.5,073 
3,137,438 

432,832 

756,427 

1,146,607 

6,929,579 

12,891 

97,679 

55,804 


12,513 
23,363 


53 
8,533 


4,311 
41,527 


13.640,375 


13,527 

107,101 
5,113,442 

186,051 

230,9^9 

95,187 

3,536,229 

3,551 

2,815 
5,050 

189,584 
13,869 

8,056 
99,415 


139 
760 

578 


4,277 
68,7.59 
14,792 


19,015 


1825. 


1,992,101 

302 

554,213 

3,497 

131,100 

28,799,601 

1,0.59,243 

436.678 

953,793 

8,206,427 

19,250 

227,453 

72,131 

25,983 

513,414 

27,619 


323,995 


70 
80,468 


37 
331,265 


14,313 
22,266 


1830. 


202,871 

179,717 

380 

713.246 

26,073,882 

939,123 

45,093 

461,942 

1,643,515 

9,461 


33,407 


C  973,330 
\  993,979 


1,725 
7,313 


M48 
19,441 


5,741 
7.745 


9.789,0201   43,79.5,281    32.313,059    42,174.532    46,224,781 


1835. 


4,1)24,740 

366,444 

1,431 

256,147 

23,79-,186 

5  301,8.J5 

I  231.222 

104.5.35 

683,231 

1,602,752 

476.73' 

1,051,005 

39,913 

816,625 
1,281,839 

191,624 
5,102 

295.848 
^4,210,301 


14 

2.029 

237,306 


18,760 
962,900 


1,213,740 
246 


1840. 


4,518,563 

605,521 

5,961 

24,646 

21,812,099 

46,247 

134,095 

48.830 

374,915 

1,266,905 

242,734 

1,668,541 

2,209 

121,110 

42,893 

655,964 

34,049 

751,741 

337,908 

4,683 

2,441,370 

S  6,215,329 

)  2,626,178 

785,398 

42,748 

51,590 

15,793 

3,286 

115,095 

3,009 

842 

9.182 

616.721 

586,796 


11,830 


*  BischoflT,  Table  6th.  Appendix.  t  Report  of  the  Secretary  of  tiie  Treasury,  1846. 

%  See  Bischotl',  vol.  ii..  pp.  107,  153,  1.54,  163,  173,  175,  176,  &c.  The  testimony  here  alluded  to,  or  an 
abstract  of  it  will  be  given  in  a  subsequent  Letter. 

II  If  these  sound  like  strong  expressions,  I  have  to  eay  that  I  shall  be  prepared  to  prove  them  and  shall 
BO  do,  in  a  subsequent  Letter,  from  the  testimony  of  the  firt^t  manufacturers  of  Kniiland  before  a  Committee 
of  the  House  of  Lords.  Nor  were  the  facts  disputed  by  an  interest  represented  before  the  same  Committee, 
who  had  every  inducement  to  do  so,  if  they  could  be  sustained  in  it 

§  See  Appendix  of  the  above  work,  vol.  ii.  Misleii  by  the  title  on  the  cotter,  I  have  nowhere  beS)re 
given  the  proper  designation  to  Mr.  Bischoirs  work.  Wherever  the  authority  of  this  gentleman  is  given 
you  will  understand  that  it  is  derived  from  the  work  just  named.    Published  London,  1842. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  Ill 

and  therefore  iiulicates,  as  well  as  the  case  admits  of — home  manufactures 
remaiuinjT  the  same — the  rise  or  decline  of  wool-growing,  in  the  several 
nations,  for  the  period  indicated. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  above,  that  Spain,  (and  we  may  include  the 
whole  Peninsula,)  once  so  famous  for  her  wools,  has  sunk  to  a  tilth  or 
sixth  rate  wool-producing  country,  and  that  her  exports  are  still  constantly 
declining  ;  that  Germany  and  Prussia  have  reached  their  climax,  and  are 
on  the  wane  ;  that  Russia,  Italy,  Australia  and  the  East  Indies  are  the 
most  rapid  increasers. 

The  high  prices  of  land  and  provisions — nearly  double  those  on  the  Con- 
tinent* (far  more  than  double  those  on  many  portions  of  it) — the  onerous  gen- 
eral taxes  and  parochial  assessments,  will  not  allow  wool  to  be  grown  in 
England  for  its  own  sake.  The  sheep  must  be  reared,  as  a  matter  of  pure 
necessity,  to  sustain  her  present  system  of  convertible  husbandry.  A  sheep 
fitted  for  that  object,  and  to  make  the  most  meat  in  the  shortest  time,  is 
the  main  desideratum.  Wool  is  but  a  secondary  consideration.  None 
but  the  coarse,  early  matunng  breeds  will,  therefore,  ever  be  grown  there. 
Unless  some  great  revolution  should  take  place  in  her  Agi'iculture,  these 
are  not  likely  to  ever  materially  increase  or  diminish  from  their  present 
number.  If  any  effect  is  produced  on  this  husbandry  by  the  al)olition  of 
the  Corn-Laws,  I  think  it  will  be  to  diminish  rather  than  increase  the  num 
ber  of  sheep. 

France,  especially  in  some  of  her  Southern  Provinces,  is  admirably 
adapted  to  Sheep  Husbandry.  In  1825,  the  number  of  sheep  in  the  King- 
dom was  estimated  to  exceed  30,000,000,  but  it  is  supposed  to  have  mate- 
rially diminished  since  that  period,  by  reason  of  the  division  of  landed 
property,  and  other  causes.+  With  a  population  variously  estimated  from 
163^  to  168  to  the  square  mile,J  a  soil  a  fair  portion  of  which  is  well 
adapted  to  the  growth  of  bread-stuffs,  and  the  remainder  to  the  vine,  fiaiits, 
the  mulberry  (for  silk),  etc.,  France  finds  it  better  economy  to  cultivate 
these,  and  draw  a  considerable  portion  of  her  supplies  of  wool  from  other 
countries — her  fine  wools  from  Gei-many  and  Spain,  her  coarse  ones  from 
the  regions  boi'dering  on  the  northern  shores  of  the  Mediterranean,  the 
Gulf  of  Venice,  and  the  Black  Sea.  France  exported  84,799  lbs.  of  wool, 
costing  less  than  7  cents  a  pound,  to  the  United  States  in  1846. ||  This 
small  amount  might  have  been  of  her  own  growth,  or  derived  from  her 
transit  trade.  By  the  statistical  Tables  appended  to  his  description  of 
France,  by  Make  Brun,  it  appears  that  of  the  51,777,000  hectares§  which 
he  estimates  to  comprise  the  surface,  22,818,000  are  in  arable  land,  while 
the  entire  extent  of  meadows  and  pastures  (which  are  divided  about 
evenly)  but  little  exceeds  7,000.000  hectares.^ 

Spain,  it  appears  from  the  Table,  now  exports  less  wool  to  England 
than  Italy  or  Russia  !  and  is  still  (as  late  as  1840)  on  the  decrease.  This 
is  not  owing  to  the  increase  of  her  manufactures,**  or  by  a  diversion  of  her 
exports  into  other  channels.  The  export  to  France  would,  undoubtedly, 
show  a  similar  falling  off.  That  to  the  United  States  is  but  nominal.  In 
1836  it  was  but  20,730  lbs.,tt  and  as  this  was  wool  costing  less  than  7  cents 
per  pound,  and  came  from  the  Mediterranean  side  of  Spain,  it  was  prob- 
ably in  her  ports  merely  in  transitu.  The  Gibraltar  trade,  given  in  the 
Table,  I  take  to  be  exclusively  or  mainly  a  transit  one.     From  the  Balan- 

•  See  Circular  of  John  Maitland  and  others,  Committee  of  the  Woolen  Trade  in  London — Biechoff,  voL 
ii.,  p.  X\.  -t  BiBchoff,  Youatt. 

X  Mitchell  asonmes  the  former,  and  Morse  the  latter  to  he  the  population. 

II  Report  of  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  1846.  §>  A  hectare  is  2  acres  1  rood  and  about  35-4  rods. 

T  Malte  Brun,  Am.  ed.  vol.  iii..  p.  10i.'9. 

*•  .Spain  is  not  estimated  to  manufacture  more  than  one-twentieth  of  the  woolens  consumed  by  her.  Ea- 
cyclopaedia  Amer.,  art  Spain.  tt  Report  Secretary  Treasury,  1846. 


I 


112  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

za  Mercantil*  published  by  the  Goveniment,  it  appears  that  the  exports 
of  Spain  of  all  kinds,  in  1826,  amounted  to  only  =£1,587,507.  The  exports 
of  raw  and  manufactured  silk  and  gut  reached  c£243,390  ;  lead,  c£215,360  ; 
wines,  66189,340  ;  wool,  c£  16 1,650  ;  fiuits,  d£152,075  ;  brandy,  d£107,715  ; 
barilla,  ^£79,200,  etc.  This  exhibits  not  only  the  smallness  of  the  entire 
export  of  wool,  but  the  diminished  comparative  inipoitance  of  this  once 
great  national  staple. 

The  number  of  sheep  in  Spain  is  still  placed  by  many  writers  as  high  as 
10,000,000  for  the  migratory  flocks,  and  8,000,000  for  the  stationary  ones. 
Even  Mr.  Youatt  has  fallen  into  this,  as  it  strikes  me,  unquestionable  error,  t 
If  Spain  possesses  18,000,000  of  sheep,  what  does  she  do  with  the  wool, 
which  should  amount  to  at  least  54,000,000  lbs.  ]  Admitting — which  prob- 
ably exceeds  the  fact — that  her  export  to  France  and  other  nations  equals 
that  to  England,  and  that  she  manufactures  a  quantity  equal  to  twice  her 
whole  export,  the  aggregate  amount  would  be  less  than  8,000,000  lbs. 
The  author  of  the  article  on  Sheep  Raising  in  the  Encyclopaedia  Ameri- 
cana, places  the  number  of  the  whole  fine-wool  sheep  in  Spain  at  4,000,000. 
This  I  think  high  enough,  and  probably  not  far  from  the  truth.  This  is  a 
million  less  sheep  than  those  of  the  State  of  New-York  in  1839  ! 

The  actual  facilities  for  growing  wool  in  Spain  have  already  been  al- 
luded to  in  my  fifth  Letter.  I  should  not  consider  it  necessary  to  bestow 
farther  examination  on  them,  were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  owing  to  various 
associations  connected  with  the  early  history  of  the  Merino  sheep,  and  the 
lead  once  taken  by  Spain  in  the  production  of  fine  wool,  her  facilities  have 
been,  popularly,  prodigiously  overrated,  and  even  the  difficulties  under 
which  she  has  labored  for  this  husbandry,  magnified  into  advantages.  Her 
northern  mountains  are  high,  broken,  cold,  and  exposed  to  peculiarly 
piercing  north  winds, |  and  the  winter  on  them  lasts,  as  I  infer  from  Mr. 
Livingston,  about  six  months.     He  says  :  || 

"  ^Vhen  the  severe  weather  commences  on  the  mountains,  the  shepherds  prepare  to  de- 
part, which  is  generally  about  the  end  of  September  and  throughout  the  mouth  of  October, 
to  seek  more  temperate  climates  arid  fresher  pastures.  In  Apiil  or  Way,  according  as  the 
season  is  late  or  early,  they  retuna  to  the  mountains." 

It  might  be  practicable  to  prepare  hay  for  winter  use,  in  favorable  posi- 
tions, and  particularly  on  l\ie  parameras,  on  these  mountains,  and  thus  the 
migratory  sheep  might  become  stationary  on  them.  But  the  Spaniard  is 
too  much  wedded  to  ancient  customs,  too  little  in  love  with  change  of  any 
kind,  and,  most  of  all,  a  change  bringing  an  addition  of  labor,  to  thus  in- 
novate on  his  own  habits  or  those  of  his  flocks. 

The  high  basins  of  the  Douro  and  Tagus  (embracing  the  two  Castiles 
and  Leon)  are  too  valuable  for  the  cultivation  of  grain,  vineyards,  fruits, 
etc.,  to  be  profitably  devoted  to  the  pasturage  of  sheep.  The  wheat  of 
Spain  is  among  the  best  in  Europe, §  and  it  is  stated  in  Mr.  Jacob's  Tracts 
on  the  Corn  Trade,  that  she  frequently  does  not  raise  enough  for  her  own 
consumption.^  For  the  vine,  olive,  fig,  mulberry,  barilla,  and  various 
other  products  of  equal  profit  both  for  home  consumption  and  for  export, 
she  is  not  excelled  probably  by  any  country  in  Europe.  A  friend  of  mine 
who  traveled  in  Spain  in  1845,  describes  the  valleys  above  alluded  to,  as 
almost  exclusively  devoted  to  tillage  crops.     In  the  Southern  Provinces, 


•  Quoted  by  McCuUoch— Com.  Die.  art  Cadh. 

t  See  Yoaatt  on  the  Sheep.  I.ond.  ed..  p.  147  et  supra.  Mr.  Livingston  in  his  day  estimated  the  miirratory 
sheep  at  ."i.OOO.OOO,  the  stationary  at  8.0011,000.  See  Essay  on  Sheep,  pp.  36,  39.  Mr.  L.  wa.s  also  undoubt- 
edly in  error.  |  Make  Brun.  ||  Livingston  on  Sheep,  p.  36. 

6.  Note  hy  Percival  to  km.  ed.  of  Malte  Brun  ;  art.  Spain, 

11  Quoted  by  McCulIoch — Com.  Die;  art.  Odessa. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  113 

where  rain  does  not  sometimes  fall  for  months  in  the  summer,*  the  grass 
becomes  entirely  dried  up,  so  that  flocks,  to  be  made  stationary  there, 
would  requii-e  hay  or  other  prepared  food  for  several  of  the  summer  months 

The  Transhumantcs  or  migratory  flocks  must  still  continue,  then,  to 
travel  fiom  the  northcm  mountains  to  the  wann  basins  of  the  Guadiana 
and  the  Guadalquiver  for  their  winter  quarters,  and  return  to  the  moun- 
tains in  the  summer,  or  this  branch  of  the  husbandry  would  undoubtedly 
become  extinct.  The  eflect  on  the  health  and  condition  of  the  sheep,  and 
the  important  item  which  it  would  fomi  on  the  debit  side  of  the  account 
in  Sheep  Husbandry,  to  thus  diive  flocks  a  six  weeks'  journey  twice  a  year, 
(consuming  nearly  a  quarter  of  the  year  on  the  road,)  can  be  estimated  by 
any  one  actjuainted  with  such  mattere.t  The  losses  and  expenses  thus  in- 
curred would  absorb  all  the  profits  of  the  husbandry,  were  it  not  for  the 
extraordinary  privileges  confen'ed  on  the  flockmasters  (mainly  consisting 
of  the  King,  nobles  and  clergy)  by  the  absurd  and  tyrannical  regulations 
of  the  Consejo  tie  la  j\Iesta.\  The  abolition  of  the  "  Council  of  the  Royal 
Troop,"  there  cannot  be  a  reasonable  doubt,  would  be  immediately  fol- 
lowed by  the  downfall  of  the  migratory  Sheep  Husbandry  in  Spain.  That 
the  day  has  gone  by  when  this  unfortunate  and  distracted  country  can 
ever  again  enjoy  the  blessings  of  permanent  peace  and  settled  institutions, 
under  which  this  or  any  other  branch  of  husbandry  can  increase  or  steadily 
flourish,  until  she  reaches  a  point  of  political  civilization  entirely  incom 
patible  with  the  continuance  of  a  relic  of  tyranny  and  barbarism  so  mon 
Btvous  as  the  Mesfa,  I  consider  equally  certain.  I  see,  therefore,  no  possible, 
or  at  least  probable  contingency  under  which  the  migratory  Sheep  Hus- 
bandry of  Spain  is  likely  to  be  extended,  or  even  to  permanently  main- 
tain its  present  footing.  Nor  is  there  any  probability  of  her  again  rising 
into  importance  as  a  wool-producing  country,  from  her  stationary  flocks. 

Italy,  though  too  accessible  to  the  dry,  hot  wind  of  Africa,  (the  Solano,) 
to  exhibit  the  uniformity  of  deep-green  verdure  seen  north  of  the  Alps,  is 
nevertheless — much  of  it — a  countiy  of  fine  pasturage.  The  great  plain 
between  the  Alps  and  Appenines,  the  basin  of  the  Po — including  Lom- 
hardy,  Sardinia,  Parma,  ^Nlodena,  etc. — is  one  of  the  most  productive  in 
Europe,  and  its  extraordinary  facilities  for  irrigation  allow  five  or  six 
crops  of  hay  to  be  mown  in  a  single  season.  In  Tuscany,  the  orange  and 
lemon  begin  to  make  theii"  appearance — the  soil  is  alluvial  and  rich,  and 
the  mountainous  districts  are  finely  adapted  to  pasturage.  The  States  of 
the  Church  are  also  highly  fertile,  and  abound  in  good  herbage  ;  and  on 
the  deadly  Campagna  di  Roma,  and  even  the  Pontine  Marshes,  flocks  and 
herds  find  an  abundant  subsistence  in  winter,  and  are  driven  to  the  Appe- 
nines in  summer.  The  same  remarks  apply  to  the  northern  portions  of 
the  Kingdom  of  Naples.  The  southern  extremity  of  Italy  is  exposed  to 
a  burning  climate,  and  exhibits  the  vegetation  of  Africa. 

The  whole  superficial  area  of  Italy  does  not  exceed  122,000  square 
miles,  and  her  population  is  172  to  the  square  mile.  Scarcely  raising 
bread-stuffs  enough  for  her  own  consumption,  taking  one  year  with  an- 
other.ll  there  is  not  the  most  remote  prospect  of  her  ever  becoming  an  im- 
portant wool-exporting  country. 

*  See  Hon.  Wm.  Jarvis's  Letur  to  me  on  the  subject  of  Merino  Sheep,  when  I  acted  as  Corr.  Sec'y  of 
the  N.  y.  State  AzricuUural  ?'<>ciety — Trantactionf",  1841,  p.  S-Ji. 

t  Since  giving  this  as  the  di-tance  from  "  the  middle  of  Eftrcmadura  to  the  Cantabrian  Mountains  "  (Let- 
ter v.),  I  gee  it  stated  in  the  Knryclopifdia  Americnna  that  "the  whole  journey  from  the  mountains  to  the 
interior  of  Eetremadura  is  reckoned  at  about  600  miles."  Mi-aeuremcnt  on  the  map  will  show  that  it  does 
not  exceed  4  degrees  or  277  miN'S,  but  the  diflTcrcnce  may  be  made  by  the  circuitousness  of  the  route,  or 
the  writer  may  refer  to  more  eastern  ponions  of  the  great  Appenine  Chain.  I  find  it  stated  by  several  wri. 
ters  that  each  ioumey  consumes  six  weeks. 

♦  For  a  description  of  this  odious  tribunal  see  Livingston  on  8beep,  p.  35. 
0  See  HcCulloch'*  Com.  Die. ;  art.  Odcsaa. 

P 


114  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

Turkey  both  in  Europe  and  Asia,  it  would  appear  from  Table  8,  is 
but  a  trifling  exporter  of  wool.  It  should  be  remarked,  however,  that  the 
wools  of  the  Western  Provinces,  and  of  Greece,  are  generally  exported 
from  Trieste  to  France.*  Under  the  late  American  Tariff,  ("  Tariff  of  1842,") 
the  export  to  the  United  States  was  becoming  an  important  one — much 
greater  than  that  to  England.  In  1846,  it  amounted,  of  wools  costing  less 
than  7  cents  a  pound,  to  6,744,328  Ibs.t  European  Turkey  has  a  colder 
and  less  uniform  climate  than  Italy,  but  still  it  is  a  fine  one,|  and  being  a 
broken,  mountainous  country,  well  adapted  to  pasturage,  and  but  sparsely 
populated,  {55  to  the  square  mile,)  it  is  wonderful  that  so  little  attention 
has  been  paid  to  the  culture  of  wool.  But  the  proud  and  indolent  Turk 
spurns  all  rural  labor,  or  all  interest  in  it,  leaving  it  to  his  vassals — and 
these,  destitute  of  any  security  to  person  or  property,  taxed,  oppressed, 
liable  to  be  compelled  to  make  forced  sales  to  bey  or  ayan — or,  what  is 
worse,  their  property  seized  outright — have  little  inducement  to  accumu- 
late a  species  of  property  so  easily  pounced  upon.|| 

Germany  (including  Prussia  and  Austria)  is  now  the  gi-eat  producer  of 
fine  wools,  supplying  not  only  her  own  manufactories — which  are  es- 
timated to  consume  half  the  whole  product — but  exporting  the  large  sur- 
plus indicated  in  the  Table.  Nor  is  this  all ;  for  to  France,  the  Nether- 
lands, Switzerland,  &c.,  she  is  supposed  to  export  half  as  much  as  to  Eng- 
land.§  The  whole  region  thus  included — leaving  out  the  Austrian  States 
in  Italy,  which  have  already  been  considered — comprises  a  territory  of 
468,000  square  miles,  and  a  population  of  58,800,000,  or  ISOfto  the  square 
mile.  The  country  on  the  north  is  level,  vast  plains  extending  from  the 
declivities  of  the  mountains  which  occupy  the  center  of  Germany,  to  the 
North  Sea  and  the  Baltic.  ■  The  center  is  mountainous,  and  its  plains  are 
very  elevated.  The  extreme  South  is  covered  with  mountains.  From  the 
Little  Carpathian  or  Jablunka  Mountains,  and  from  the  eastern  termina- 
tion of  the  Styrian  and  Julian  Alps,  stretch  away  the  vast  Hungarian 
and  Transylvanian  plains  to  the  confines  of  Turkey. 

The  great  northern  plain  of  Germany  is  low,  sandy,  flat,  often  consist- 
ing of  naked  silicious  sands  or  those  covered  with  lichens,  interspersed 
with  frequent  marshes,  and  terminating  in  many  places  on  the  Baltic  in 
vast  morasses,  or  land  redeemed  from  the  sea  by  dikes.  As  a  whole,  the 
land,  particularly  in  the  maritime  Provinces,  is  of  an  inferior  quality,  but 
some  portions  of  it,  as  for  example  in  Silesia  and  Saxony,  is  of  a  quality 
ranging  fi'om  medium  to  good.  The  soil  of  Central  and  Southern  Ger- 
many (including  Austria)  must,  of  course,  exhibit  many  varieties.  In  gen- 
eral, however,  it  may  be  set  down  as  productive  in  the  valleys,  and  or- 
dinary or  poor  on  the  high  lands.  The  lower  plains  of  Wirtemberg, 
Baden,  the  South  of  Bavaria,  etc.,  are  exceedingly  fertile.  The  plains  of 
Hungary  on  the  south-east  not  uncommonly  exhibit  soils  of  remarkable 
richness,  but  they  alternate  with  inferior  ones,  and  with  vast  and  un- 
healthy morasses.  Taken  together,  the  region  which  I  have  included  un- 
der the  designation  of  Gei'many,  though  not  a  sterile  country,  is  not 
favored  with  soils  naturally  as  productive  as  those  of  Italy  or  Spain  ;  nor 
would  it  at  all  compare  with  that  portion  of  the  United  States  west  of  the 
Apalachians. 

The  climate  of  Germany  is  thus  summed  up  by  Malte  Brun  :  ^ 

*  Southcy,  quoted  by  Bischnff.  vol.  ii.  p.  356.  t  Report  of  the  Secretarj'  of  the  Treftsury,  1846. 

t  For  a  ])ictuie  of  this  as  well  as  the  other  natural  features  of  Turkey,  both  in  Kurope  and  Asia,  Greece, 
and  the  Ionian  Isles — as  delicately  accurate,  as  soft  and  rich  as  one  of  the  scenes  of  Claude — see  Childe 
Harold,  Canto  II.,  the  opening  of  the  Giaour,  the  Bride  of  Ahydos,  etc.  Though  this  may  be  deemed  a  sin- 
gular, it  is  the  very  best  reference,  which  my  reading  enables  me  to  make. 

II  See  Urquhart  on  Turkey  and  its  Resources,  p.  139.  §  Encyclopsedia  Americana ;  art.  Wool, 

T[  Am.  ed.,  vol.  ii.,  p.  594. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  115 

"  Tlie  diimite  of  Gennimy  is  greally  iiiodifioil  hy  the  eli'vatioii  ami  tluclivitii\s  of  Uie  roiin- 
try ;  but  indcix-iulontlv  of  that  cause,  it  does  not  ailinit,  from  its  extent  in  liiliiude,  of  any 
vague  or  genenil  definition.  It  may  l>u  divided,  liowever,  into  tliree  fjreat  zones,  and  these, 
too,  are  suseeptihle  of  other  subdivisions.  The  first  is  that  of  th(;  northern  ]ihiins,  of  which 
the  temperature  is  not  so  cold  as  it  is  liumid  and  variable  ;  they  are  expost-d  to  every  wind, 
while  fofis  and  temj)esls  are  conveye<l  to  this  re-^ion  from  two  seas.  The  norlli-wesi  plain  i.s 
subject,  from  its  vicinity  to  the  .North  Sea,  to  freciuent  rains  and  de.sohitiiif;  hurricanes.  'I'lio 
influence  of  the  Baltic  on  the  uorth-east  plain  is  lees  powerful ;  the  climate,  though  colder, 
is  not  8o  humid  and  variable. 

The  second  general  zone  comprehends  all  the  central  part  of  Germany The  moun- 
tains in  that  extensive  region  fonn  a  barrier  against  the  etl'ects  of  the  maritime  climate.  Tho 
sky  is  not  obscured  by  mists,  and  the  regnhir  order  of  the  seasons  is  not  interrui)ted  by 
winds  and  tempests  ;  but   the  elevation  of  the  soil  renders  the  climate  collier  tiian  in  other 

countries  iu  the  s;nue  latitude  nearer  tiie  level  of  the  sea The  third  general  zone  is 

that  of  tVie  Alps.  Tho  lolly  hights  and  rapid  declivitii;s  connect  very  ditVerent  climates; 
thus  tho  cnhure  of  the  vine  ceases  in  Bavsu'ia  and  U[)per  Austria,  and  aj)pears  anew  with 
fresh  vigor  in  the  neighborhood  of  Vienna.  Tlie  eternal  glaciers  of  Tyrol  and  Salsburg  aro 
contiguous  to  the  viJleys  of  Styria  and  Carniola,  covered  with  fields  of  maizo  or  vineyards, 
aud  almost  border  on  tiio  olives  of  Trieste  and  the  lemon-trees  of  Riva." 

Contiguous  mountains  render  the  north  of  Hungary  extremely  cold. 
Farther  south,  the  climate  rapidly  becomes  warmer,  and  on  the  lower 
plains  in  the  extreme  south  the  heat  is  intense  and  the  climate  insalubrious. 

The  haucr  or  farmer  in  those  States  of  Germany  where  the  feudal  ten- 
ures have  been  abolished,  and  the  land  is  held  in  fee  simple,  owns  four  or 
five  English  acres  of  land.     These  men,  says  Mr.  Jacob, 

"although  placed  above  the  pressure  of  want,  or  possessing  the  bare  necessaries  of  life, 
have  very  little  beyond  them.  Such  as  are  industrious  and  frugid,  by  cultivating  iheii'  small 
portion  of  ground,  may  raise  a  sufficient  quantity  of  potatoes  for  their  own  consumption,  com 
for  their  bread,  and  provisions  for  two  draught  oxen.  They  all  raise  a  small  ciuantily  of 
flax,  and  some  few  confrive  to  keep  five  or  six  sheep.  It  is  often  no  easy  matter  for  those  to 
find  occupation,  who  are  desirous  of  other  employment  in  addition  to  the  cultivation  of  their 
own  land,  for  no  agricultui-dl  labor  can  be  carried  on  during  the  long  and  severe  winters.  .  .  . 
It  is  rare  indeed  that  they  can  afford  to  have  meat  of  any  kind,  and  those  only  who  are 
more  prosperous  than  tlieir  neighbors  can  keep  a  cow  to  provide  themselves  witli  milk." 

The  wool  raised  by  these  owners  of  five  or  six  sheep,  is  annually 
bought  up  by  Jews  and  other  traveling  agents,  who  go  from  house  to 
house  to  collect  it. 

The  following  extracts  from  William  Howitt's  sprightly  and  interesting 
"  Rural  and  Domestic  Life  in  Germany  "  will  show  under  what  circum- 
stances a  great  portion  of  its  wool  is  grown  : 

"  Here  you  look  in  vain  for  anything  like  the  green  fields  and  hedge-rows  of  England.  .  .  . 
It  is  all  one  fenceless  and  plowed  field.     Long  rows  of  trees  on  each  side  of  the  road  are  all 

that  divide  them  from  the   fields The  keeping  up  of  tlie  cattle  presents  you  a  new 

feature  of  niral  life.  As  the  quantity  of  land  left  t()r  gra-ss  is  very  small,  the  grass  is  propor- 
tionably  economized.  The  little  j)atche8  of  gniss  between  woods  and  in  the  open  parts  of 
the  woods,  the  little  strips  along  the  river-banks  and  even  in  gardens  and  shrubberies,  are 
carefully  preserved  for  tliis  purj)ose.  You  see  women  in  these  places  cutting  grass  with  a 
small  hook  or  smooth-edged  sickle,  and  carrying  it  away  on  tlieir  heads  in  biiskels  for  their 
cows.  You  see  the  grass  on  the  lawns  of  good  houses,  on  grass-plats,  and  in  shrubberies, 
very  long  and  wild  ;  and  when  you  ask  why  it  is  not  kept  closer  mov^ni,  the  rejtly  is  that  it 
is  given  to  the  milk-woman,  often  for  a  consideration,  who  cuts  it  as  she  wants  it.  Youseo 
other  women  picking  the  long  gra.ss  out  of  the  forests,  or  under  the  bu.shes  on  the  hill-sides 

where  the  slopes  have  been  mown,  for  the  same  puqiose The  chiklren  may  be  seen 

standing  in  the  stream  in  the  villages  carefully  washing  weeds  before  they  are   given  to  the 

cattle Nettles,  chervil,  cow-parsnip,   which  in  England  are  left  to  seed  and  rot,  are 

aU  here  cut  for  the  imprisont-d  cow.  You  go  down  to  the  river-side  to  fish,  and  a  peasant  is 
soon  with  you,  chattering  and  gesticulating,  pointing  to  your  feet  and  to  tlu;  gr;Lss.  It  is  to  let 
you  know  that  you  are  not  to  angle  there,  because  it  treads  down  the  gi-a.ss  ;  and  accfudintzly, 
va  Gennany,  with  rivers  full  of  fish,  you  seldom  see  an  angler;  if  you,  he  is  pretty  sure  to  be  an 

Englishman Not  a  sheep,  a  horse,  or  a  cow  is  to  be  seen.  .  .  .  The  mountain  tops  are 

covered  with  wood.  Tho  slopes  are  covered  witli  vineyards.  You  ask  where  the  c.itlle  are  ? 
Y'ou  are  answered,  in  the  stalls.  Where  are  the  sheep  ?  Under  the  care  of  shepherds, 
somewhere — Heaven  knows  where  !  you  never  come  across  them.     It  is  only  on  the  great 


116  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

plains  of  the  North  that  you  afterward  find  large  flocks  and  herds,  under  the  care  of  keepers, 
kept  close  together ;  for  as  they  have  no  fences,  they  are  under  the  momentary  peril  of  mak- 
ing ravages  on  then'  neighbor's  crops." 

Between  Leipsic  and  Berlin,  on  the  plains  of  Saxony,  Mr.  Howitt  first 
saw  flocks  of  sheep  in  the  field,  and  he  says  : 

"  One  thing  which  surprises  an  Englishman  is  to  see  what  wretched  creatures  are  the 

sheep   which  produce  the  famous  Saxony  wool In  fact,  it  is  a  prevailing  idea  that 

the  leaner  the  sheep  the  finer  the  wool.  It  is  the  wool  to  which  all  the  attention  of  the  grow- 
er is  devoted,  and  therefore,  generally  speaking,  a  more  miserable  assemblage  of  auimaJa 

than  a  flock  of  German  sheep  is  not  to  be  seen On  the  plains  they  wander  under  the 

care  of  a  shepherd,  and  for  the  most  part  on  fallows  and  stubljles,  to  pick  up  odds  and  ends, 
rather  than  to  enjoy  a  regular  pasture.  You  may  see  them  ])enned  on  a  blazing  fallow,  where 
not  a  tiace  of  vegetable  matter  is  to  be  seen,  for  ihe  greater  part  of  a  summer  day,  which  in 

this  climate  is  pretty  much  Hke  being  roasted  alive For  what  purpose  they  are  here, 

excejit  to  starve  and  melt  them  into  leanness,  I  never  could  discover The  sheep,  be- 
sides being  lean,  are  generally  dreadfully  lame  with  that  pestilent  complaint  the  foo^rot,  and 
their  keepers,  apparently,  trouble  themselves  very  litde  about  it." 

Mr.  Howitt  states  that  it  is  necessary  to  economize  the  land  so  closely,  to 
sustain  the  population,  in  some  parts  of  Germany,  that  the  peasants  actual- 
ly convey  earth  up  steep  hill-sides  in  baskets,  and  cover  the  rocks  with  it, 
to  thus  add  to  the  tillable  soil ! 

In  reviewing  the  preceding  facts,  you  are  struck  with  no  one  which 
would  indicate  particular  natural  advantages  for  sheep  rearing  in  the  States 
of  Germany,  Prussia,  and — with  an  exception  presently  to  be  named — 
Austria.  The  cliinate  of  the  North  is  humid,  fickle  and  tempestuous  ;  that 
of  the  middle  cold  with  long  winters.  Neither  possess  any  advantages 
over  our  own  Northern  States — and  in  some  respects  are  decidedly  inferior 
to  them.  This  was  the  opinion  of  that  eminent  sheep-breeder  and  excel- 
lent man,  Henry  D.  Grove,  of  this  State,  who  was  a  native  of  Prussian 
Saxony,  and  who  certainly  would  never  be  suspected  by  any  one  who 
knew  him  personally,  of  any  want  of  partiality  for  anything  pertaining  to 
his  Fatherland  !  In  his  letter  to  Benton  and  Barry  on  wool-growing,  &c.. 
he  says : 

"  Ten  years'  experience  has  fully  satisfied  me  on  this  point.  In  some  respects,  we  possess 
natural  advantages  over  Germany." 

In  what  particulars  he  awarded  the  preference  to  the  United  States,  his 
letters  and  oral  declarations  to  me,  leave  no  uncertainty.  It  was  both  in 
soil  and  climate,  and  in  instituting  the  comparison,  he  had  his  eye  not  on  the 
most  favored  sections  of  our  country,  but  on  the  hills  of  Rensselaer  County 
in  this  State,  where  he  resided. 

If  in  natural  advantages  we  surpass  Germany,  how  much  more  we  do 
in  artificial  ones,  may  be  estimated  from  the  preceding  extracts  from 
Messrs.  Jacob  and  Howitt.  To  these  general  remarks  portions  of  Hunga- 
ry form  an  exception.  In  these,  the  climate  is  fine,  the  soil  rich,  and,  the 
feudal  tenures  remaining  unabolished,  the  land  is  yet  held  in  those  large 
estates  so  favorable  to  Sheep  Husbandry.  Prince  Esterhazy,  the  former 
Austrian  Ambassador  to  England,  says  Mr.  Paget,*  owns  an  estate  of  some- 
thingmore  than  7,000  square  miles,  including  130  villages,  40  towns, and  34 
castles.  His  sheep  are  said  to  amount  to  3,000,000.t  Other  nobles  own  flocks 
of  from  ten  to  thirty  thousand.  The  demi-savage  Magyar  serf,  whose 
labor  costs  nothing,  whose  principal  garment  is  a  sheep-skin,  and  whose 
miserable  and  scanty  food  is  more  than  half  stolen,^  makes  a  most  econom- 
ical shepherd  !  Hungary  lacks  facilities  for  internal  communication,  and 
her  convenience  to  the  Mediterranean  markets — excepting  Turkey — so  as 

*  I'Hset's  Hunsary  and  Tran?yIvaniR.  vol.  i.  pp.  46.  t  Youatt. 

X  See  Paget's  Huugary,  Jcc,  p.  13  to  19. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  117 

to  first  throw  her  agiicultural  jirodncts  into  ports  where  the  demaml  is  good, 
is  decidedly  iiilerior  to  that  of  Italy,  France  and  Spain.  The  Danube 
is  the  only  natural  outlet  to  her  commerce — which,  thanks  to  a  li})erality 
of  policy  on  the  part  of  Turkey,*  contrasting  most  favorably  with  that 
of  several  cnJightciwd  nations  t  under  similar  circumstances,  she  enjoys 
without  limitation.  To  reacli  Trieste,  a  long  land  carriage  is  indispensa- 
ble. Her  exports  too,  are  emhairassed  by  the  imposts  and  narrow  restric- 
tions of  the  Imperial  Government.  She  cannf)t,  therefore,  export  cheap 
heavy  articles,  such  as  jirovisions,  to  so  great  advantage  as  tlie  Levantine 
nations  :  but  every  circumstance  points  to  her  as  a  country  which  should 
be  one  of  the  first  on  the  i^astern  Continent,  for  the  production  of  wine,  silk, 
wool,  &c. 

Separated  from  Hungary  and  Transylvania  only  by  tlie  Carpathian  Moun- 
tains and  Turkish  Moldavia,  lie  the  fertile  provinces  of  South-eastern  Rus- 
sia, the  basins  of  the  Dniester,  the  Dnieper,  and  the  Don.  From  the  Car- 
pathians to  the  Caspian,  across  the  entire  extent  of  the  plains  of  ancient 
Scythia,  not  an  elevation  which  could  be  properly  dignified  with  the  ap- 
pellation of  a  mountain,  breaks  the  immense  expanse!  The  lower  valley 
of  the  Dniester  or  Borysthenes,  formerly  known  as  the  Ukraine,  has  been 
celebrated  for  centuries  for  its  pasturage — for  its  horses  J  and  cattle  :  and  re- 
cently flocks  of  Merino  sheep  have  been  introduced  there  and  successfully 
crossed  \\-ith  the  native  variety.  In  1839,  Mr.  Slade  states  that  many  of 
the  colonists  on  the  Steppe  and  in  Bessarabia  had  20,000  sheep.  Merinos 
were  introduced  into  Crimea  or  Taurida,  by  M.  Rouvier,  a  French  ad- 
venturer, in  about  1802. ||  In  this  favored  peninsula,  which  the  learned 
Pallas  describes  as  little  less  than  an  earthly  Paradise,  they  have  multiplied 
exceedinsfjy,  and  extended  to  Cherson,  Ekatherinoslav,  Bessarabia  and 
other  provincial  Governments. §  The  export  of  wool  from  Odessa  in  1829 
was  3,402  lbs.;  in  1830,  21,361  lbs. ;  in  1831,  35,058  lbs. ;  in  1832,  41,558 
lbs.  ;  in  1833,  66,457  lbs.;  in  1834,  66,901  lbs.«] 

In  one  respect  Southern  Russia  has  the  advantage  over  Hungary'.  It  is 
more  sparsely  populated,  and  land  is  perhaps  in  still  lower  estimation.  As 
in  the  latter,  the  land,  much  of  it,  is  fertile  and  well  adapted  to  ])asturage, 
and  the  price  of  labor  is  next  to  nothing.  But  for  causes  adverted  to  in  the 
opening  part  of  my  eighth  Letter,  there  is  a  wide  disparity  in  the  climates  of 
the  two  countries,  if  we  leave  Crimea  out  of  view.  That  of  Russia,  affect- 
ed by  the  north  and  north-east  winds — which  the  Carpathians  exclude  from 
Hungary — has  a  winter  which  for  length  and  intensity  is  entirely  unequaled 
in  the  latter,  excepting  in  its  northern  mountainous  regions.  Sheep  must  be 
boused,  and  fed  for  some  months  on  dry  food,  in  Southeni  Russia.  Taking 
into  view  the  broad,  level  stcjipcs**  and  their  luxuriant  natural  verdure — 
taking  into  \\e\\  the  climate,  warm  in  summer,  cold  and  exposed  to  winds 
of  great  severity  in  winter,  it  strikes  me  that  there  must  be  no  inconsider- 
able resemblance  between  this  portion  of  Russia  and  our  own  north- 
western prairies  in  corresponding  latitudes  (45'^  to  46°).  But  when  the 
cost  of  land  and  labor  is  taken  into  consideration,  wool  can  be  produced 
cheaper,  in  my  judgment,  in  South-wesrera  Russia  than  in  Spain,  France, 
Germany,  Italy  or  any  other  portion  of  Europe,  excepting  Hungary.  Were 

*  This  power  is  remarkable  for  iu  liberBlity  in  all  its  regulations  which  affect  the  trade  and  commerce  of 
other  nations. 

t  e.  ff.,  the  policy  of  Endand  in  relation  to  the  navigation  of  the  Pt.  Lawrence. 

X  This  wild  region  and  its  hor^e?  have  been  renderid  cin.'!? ic  by  Mnzeppa.  Who.  that  ever  read,  has  for- 
got the  dcBcripiion  of  the  horce  on  whifh  the  Heimnn  performed  his  fiery  and  perilous  ride  ! 

II  For  an  inierening  accnxint  of  the  adventures  of  this  fortunate  French  Ja«on,  see  tiluUc's  •'  Travels  in 
Germany  and  Rusfia,"  publi-hed  I.ondxn,  le40. 

S_fee  .'^lade's  Travels;  also  MrCulloch's  Com.  Die.— art. Odessa. 

%  McCulloch's  Com.  Die— nrf.  Odessa. 

**  This  Kussian  word  has  a  suni^ar  sijniificatioii  Xoprairit,  pampas,  Hanoi,  iic. 


118  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

European  Turkey  differently  populated,  and  under  different  institutions,  it 
might  constitute  another  exception. 

Central  and  Northern  Russia,  like  the  States  north  of  Germany, 
are  north  of  the  wool  zone.  Their  winters  are  too  long  and  severe  to 
allow  them  to  compete  with  regions  lying  farther  south,  in  wool-growing. 

Asia  Minor,  or  Turkey  in  Asia,  and  Persia  have  been  alluded  to — the 
formez',  much  of  it,  a  fine  country  with  a  most  delightful  climate,  but  its 
natural  advantages  all  neutralized  by  its  pohtical  systems  and  the  charac- 
ter of  its  population — the  latter,  except  in  occasional  favored  positions, 
such  as  the  valleys  of  Shiraz  and  Ispahan,  a  land  of  mountain  and  deseit, 
of  intense  heat  and  intense  cold. 

Independent  Tartary,  lying  immediately  north  of  it,  is  less  exposed  to 
the  hot  winds  of  Arabia,  but  more  so  to  the  freezing  ones  of  Siberia.  Its 
vast  dry  plains  are  usually  deserts,  excepting  on  the  borders  of  its  exceed- 
ly  rare  streams.  Great  Bucharia,  however,  in  the  south-east,  on  the  head. 
waters  of  the  Amoo  (Oxus) — from  the  Capital  of  which  Timour  (Tamer- 
lane) issued  on  his  desolating  path  of  conquest — is  a  country  of  great  fer- 
tility. Its  natural  beauties  constitute  a  favorite  theme  with  the  poets  and 
geographers  of  Persia  and  Arabia.  Since  the  opening  of  the  navigation  of 
the  Indus,  it  has  annually  sent  some  wool  to  Bombay,  which  constitutes  a 
part  of  that  which  is  shipped  thence  to  England,  and  is  known  in  Table 
8  as  East  Indian  wool. 

Afghanistan  and  Beloochistan,  protected  on  the  north  from  the  Siberian 
winds  by  the  lofty  Hindoo  Koosh  mountains,  and  less  exposed  on  the  south 
to  those  of  Arabia,  exhibits  a  milder  and  less  variable  climate  than  that  of 
the  conterminous  regions  of  Persia.  Among  the  Highlands  of  the  north, 
and  those  skirting  the  Indus  on  the  east,  there  is  much  good  pasturage. 
Sir  Alexander  Barnes  states  that  four-fifths  of  the  whole  surface  of  Cabul, 
a  Province  of  the  former,  is  excellent  pasture  land.  The  wool  of  the  broad- 
tailed  sheep  of  these  countries  also  finds  its  way,  by  the  Indus,  to  Bombay, 
and  is  classed  as  East  India  wool  in  the  Table. 

From  the  high,  cold,  mountain  region-s  of  Thibet,  Little  Bucharia,  &c., 
some  wools  are  exported,  through  the  same  channels,  which  come  under 
the  same  classification.  These  countries  also  export  shawl  wool.*  Most 
of  China  north  of  the  great  Desert  of  Gobi  is  a  cold,  mountainous  country. 
The  southern  portion,  or  China  Proper,  is  too  densely  populated  and  closely 
cultivated  to  be  devoted  to  pasturage. 

The  wool  trade  which  followed  the  opening  of  the  Indus  (the  raw  ma- 
terial being  supplied  by  Afghanistan,  Great  Bucliaria,  Thibet  and  some 
of  the  Hindostanase  Provinces)  might  doubtless  be  swelled  into  one 
of  great  importance,  particularly  by  introducing  finer  breeds  of  sheep; 
but  we  can  scarcely  expect  this,  from  what  we  know  of  the  habits,  agri- 
cultural and  commercial,  of  the  population.  Among  constant  political 
changes  wrought  by  the  only  Asiatic  argument — the  sword — the  personal 
habits  and  occupations  of  the  Asiatic  remain  ever  the  same,  and  are,  per- 
haps, the  best  type  of  persistency  to  be  found  in  anything  short  of  im- 
mobile matter.  Indeed,  the  stony  features  of  the  Sphinx  have  changed 
scarcely  less  through  revolving  generations,  than  have  the  ethnic  ones  of 
this  great  family  of  the  human  race  ! 

Let  us  now  pass  to  those  regions  of  the  Old  World,  south  of  the  Equa- 
tor, included  in  the  wool-growing  zone. 

The  southern  extremity  of  Africa — the  Cape  of  Good  Hope — is  included 


*  The  table-land  of  Tliibot  is  elevated  15.000  feot  nbove  the  level  of  tlieeea.  Mr.  Trail  remnrka  that  every 
animal  here,  inclu<liiii;  ("arnivurn,  jiroduee  that  dnwii  under  their  hair  which  is  known  as  shawl  wool— 
though  that  manufactured  cornea  mainly  from  a  species  of  goat. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  119 

in  the  wool-irrowingr  zone.  The  followinc;'  tlescri])ti<m  of  it  is  by  Rev. 
Robert  MoHnr,  tor  twenty-tliree  years  a  resident  of  it  as  the  agent  of  the 
London  Missionary  Society  :* 

*'  Tlie  Colony  extends  from  west  to  oast  nlimU  six  hundred  miles,  its  avemge  breadth  lifin<» 

about  two  hundred Between  the  coiist  and  tlie  vast  ciiain  of  inountaiiis,  hevond  whidi 

lie  tlie  Karoo,  the  country  is  well  watered,  fertile  and  temiH-rate.  The  other  portions  of 
the  Colony,  with  few  exceptions,  and  without  a  chani,'e  in  the  seasons,  appear  to  he  doomed 
to  perpetual  eterility  and  drouth.  The  Karcu)  couiitiy,  which  is  in  the  hackfrrotind  of  tlio 
Colony,  is,  as  Lii-iistensleiii  correctly  describes  it.  a  psirched  and  arid  plain,  stretching  out  to 
Biich  an  extent  that  the  vast  hills  by  which  it  is  tenniuated,  or  rather  which  divide  it  from 
other  plains,  are  lost  in  the  distance.  Tiie  beds  of  numberless  little  rivers,  (in  which 
water  is  nirely  to  be  fouiHl^  cross,  like  veins,  in  a  thousand  directions,  this  enomious  space. 
The  course  of  them  miglit,  in  some  places,  be  clearly  distinguished  by  the  dark  green  of  the 
mimosas  spreading  along  their  banks.     Excepting  these,  as  (ar  as  the  eye  can  reach,  no  tree 

or  shrub  is  visible But  even  on  these  hills  and  sunburnt  plains  thousands  of  sheep 

pasture  on  a  thin  sprinkling  of  verdure  and  esculents The  entire  countrv,  extending 

in  stime  places  hundreds  of  miles  on  each  side  of  the  Orange  River,  and  from  where  it  emp- 
ties iti^elf  in  the  Atlantic,  to  beyond  tlie  24tii  degree  of  east  longitude,  appears  to  have  the 
curse  of  Gillxm  resting  upon  it.  It  is  rare  that  rains  to  any  extent  or  tpiantitv  fall  in  those 
regions.  Extreme  drouth  continues  for  years  together.  The  fountains  are  exceedingly  few, 
precarious,  and  latterly  numy  of  these  have  been  dried  up  altogether." 

According  to  Barrow,  nearly  seven-tenths  of  the  Colony  are  destitute 
of  vegetation  during  a  greater  ])art  of  the  year.  Sand  drives  before  the 
winds,  exercising  an  unfavorable  influence  on  sheep  and  wool.  Lions, 
tigers,  wolves,  hyenas,  jackals,  wild  dogs,  etc.,  are  numerous  on  the  very 
skirts  of  the  settlements,  making  much  vigilance  necessary  for  the  protec- 
tion of  the  sheep;  and  they  must  be  nightly  driven  into  the  settlements  to 
be  folded.  But  the  natives  have  proved  a  vastly  more  destructive  enemy 
than  these.t  The  sheep  introduced  by  the  English  colonists  will  probably 
eventually  considerably  increase  beyond  their  present  number  in  a  country 
of  so  great  extent,  but  we  are  scarcely  authorized  to  believe  that  the  Cape 
will  ever  take  a  high  rank  among  the  wool-producing  countries  of  the 
world. 

That  great  island,  or  continent,  known  as  Xew  South  Wales,  or  Aus- 
tralia, has  a  superficial  area  equaling  that  of  the  L'nited  States.  But  a 
limited  portion  of  it,  however,  is  included  in  the  wool  zone.  All  of  Van 
Diemen's  Land,  or  Tasmania,  is  in  that  zone.  The  export  of  wool  flora 
these  countries,  as  will  be  seen  from  the  Table,|  reached  nearly  ten  million 
pounds  in  1840 — nearly  half  that  of  Germany,  including  Austria  and 
Prussia,  and  almost  eight  times  that  of  Spain!  Here,  as  at  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  there  are  no  woolen  manufactories,  and  being  Colonies  of 
England,  their  export  to  that  country  exhibits  their  u-liolc  production. 

The  soil,  products,  &c.  of  Australia  are  thus  spoken  of  by  Mr.  McCul- 
loch :  |( 

"  The  fertility  of  the  soil  in  most  parts  of  New-Holland  that  have  been  explored  with  any 
care,  is  very  far  indeed  from  corresponding  with  the  glowing  descriptions  of  some  of  its  casual 
visitors,  whose  imaginations  seem  to  have  been  dazzled  by  the  magnificence  of  its  botanical 
productions  and  the  clearness  and  beauty  of  the  climate.  The  truth  is  that  the  bad  land 
Dears  a  much  greater  proportion  to  the  good  in  New-Holland  than  in  almost  any  other  coun- 
try with  which  we  are  acouainted Of  courge  it  is  not  to  be  supposed  but  that  in  a 

country  of  such  vast  extent  there  must  be  some  fertile  districts ;  but  along  the  east  coast,  with 
which  we  are  best  acquainted,  these  seem  to  be  much  more  confined  than  might  have  been 
expected;  and  the  little  experience  we  have  had  on  the  west  side,  at  Swan  River  and  other 
places,  does  not  seem  to  lead  to  any  more  favorable  conclusions." 

After  stating  that  if  the  Government  price  of  lands  "  is  not  a  great  deal 


*  Missionary  Labors  and  Scenea  fa  Sonthem  Africa,  pp.  23—24.  ♦  See  Letter  V.,  and  Note. 

X  Including  Port  Philip,  Swan  River,  and  South  Auatralia,  the  exports  of  which  are  carried  out  separately 
in   Table  8. 

II  McCuUoch'B  Com.  Dvi.—Art,  Sydney. 


120  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

above  the  mark  in  New-Holland,  it  must  be  a  great  deal  below  it  in  Upper 
Canada,"  Professor  McCulloch  continues  : 

"If  the  Americans  exacted  the  same  price  for  their  public  lands  that  we  do,  something 
might  be  found  hi  iiivor  of  extending  the  principle  to  Canada.     They,  however,  do  nothing 

of  the  sort,  but  sell  much  better  land  at  a  decidedly  lower  rate If  slaves  could  be 

imported  into  a  Colony  of  this  sort,  there  might  be  some  chance  of  its  succeeding.  But  while 
land  of  the  very  best  quahty  may  be  had  in  the  Valley  of  the  Mississippi  for  about  a  dollar  an 
acre  or  less,  we  think  better  of  the  conwnon  sense  of  our  counti-ymen  than  to  suppose  that 
any  one  able  to  caiiy  himself  across  the  Atlantic  will  resort  to  Austraha." 

Of  the  climate  he  says  : 

"  The  climate  of  such  parts  of  New  South  Wales  as  have  been  explored  by  the  English  is 

particularly  mild  and  salubrious On  the  other  hand,  however,  it  has  the  serious 

defect  of  being  too  dry.  It  seems  to  be  subject  to  the  periodical  recurrence  of  severe 
drouths.  These  prevail  sometimes  for  2,  3,  or  even  4  years  together.  The  last  '  great 
drouth'  began  in  1826,  and  did  not  terminate  until  1829.  Veiy  little  rain  fell  during  the 
whole  of  this  lengthened  period,  and  for  more  than  six  months  there  was  not  a  single  shower. 
In  consequence,  the  whole  surface  of  the  ground  was  so  parched  and  withered  that  all  minor 
vegetation  ceased ;  and  even  culinary  vegetables  wei-e  raised  with  much  difficulty.  There 
was  also  a  pretty  severe  drouth  in  1835.  This  is  the  great  drawback  of  the  Colony ;  and  were 
it  more  populous  the  drouths  would  expose  it  to  still  more  serious  difficulties." 

Another  drouth  occurred  in  1841,  and  Mr.  Hood  thus  describes  its  ef- 
fects on  the  sheep  :  * 

"  It  will  be  scarcely  believed  in  England  that  the  estimated  number  of  sheep  which  have 
died  within  the  last  twelve  months  in  the  Colony  from  catarrh  and  droutli  is  70,000  !  !  ihat 
colonists  are  compelled  in  order  to  save  the  dam  from  starvation,  to  cut  the  throat  of  her 
lamb  ;  that  no  means  are  adopted  for  securuig  a  stock  of  lambs  for  next  year ;  or  that  a 
stockholder  would  offer  8.000  sheep  to  any  one  that  would  remove  them  from  his  runs,  find 
finding  tliat  no  one  could  be  prevailed  upon  to  taint  his  own  flocks  by  accepting  so  danger- 
ous a  present,  had  recourse  to  consuming  them  by  fire,  and  had  actually  killed  and  burnt 
2,000."  .... 

Of  the  country  Mr.  Hood  remarks  : 

"  The  first  object  on  the  arrival  of  every  settler  should  be  to  procure  a  good  country  for 
his  flocks,  and  this,  I  have  elsewhere  said,  is  his  grand  difficulty.  Let  him  be  wary  on  this 
point.  Almost  every  desirable  or  habitable  spot  in  the  old  countries,  as  the  early  settled 
districts  are  called,  is  already  occupied." 

Some  diseases  seem  to  be  peculiar  to  the  country,  or,  rather,  peculiarly 
inveterate  in  it.     Mr.  Youatt  says  :  t 

"  The  sheep  frequently  suffer  from  the  vdld  and  poachy  nature  of  a  considerable  portion 

of  the  pasture.     The  foot-rot  seems  to  assume  a  character  of  its  own If  neglected,  it 

speedily  becomes  inveterate  and  preys  upon  and  destroys  the  animal.  The  losses  occasioned 
by  it  in  the  early  existence  of  the  Colony  were  frightful." 

The  astringency  of  the  water  and  other  causes  have  produced  severe 
epidemics.  In  some  years,  some  of  the  flockmasters  have  lost  half  of  their 
sheep.f     The  scab  is  a  prevailing  disease,  and  Doct.  Lang  says  :  || 

"  When  a  convict  shepherd  has  a  pique  against  his  master,  or  even  against  his  overseer,  it 
is  often  in  his  power  to  subject  the  vi'hole  of  his  master's  flock  to  this  obnoxious  disease, 
merely  by  driving  liis  own  flock  a  few  miles  from  theii-  usual  pastm-e,  and  bringing  them 
into  contact  with  a  diseased  flock.  The  chief  source  of  the  wealth  and  prosperity  of  the 
Colony  is  thus,  in  a  gi'eat  measure,  at  the  mercy  of  the  most  worthless  of  men." 

The  cost  of  both  land  and  labor  is  comparatively  {id  est,  compared  with 
the  unoccupied  lands  of  the  United  States)  high.  The  Government  mini- 
mum is  5s.  (Si  15)  per  acre,  but  very  little  if  any  good  land  is  sold  at  that 
price.  Mr.  Hood  states  that  the  portion  of  Capt.  McArthur's  immense 
estate  which  was  obtained  by  purchase,  cost,  on  the  average,  7s.  6d. 
($1  72i)  per  acre.     Shepherds  receive  from  <£15  to  c£20  ($69  to  $92)  with 

*  Quoted  by  Spooner  in  "  History,  Diseases,  &c.,  of  the  Sheep."    London,  1844,  p.  67. 
t  Youatt  on  Sheep,  p.  189.  J  See  Spooner,  pp.  417-450. 

II  Laiig— Historical  aud  Statistical  Account,  vol.  i.,  p.  351. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  121 

a  house  and  rations,  per  tinnuin  ;  overseers  of  a  superior  description  c£50 
to  c£60  (S:ioO  to  827G),*  also  with  a  house  and  rations.t 

The  sheep  are  exposed  to  the  depredations  of"  various  animals,  hut  the 
wild  dog  is  their  most  dangerous  enemy,  with  the  exception  of  the  rvn- 
atraif  convict.  The  sheep  are  therefore  folded  nightly,  guarded  by  a 
watchman  with  his  dogs,  and  with  a  fire  to  scare  away  the  wild  beasls.J 
One  shepherd  usually  takes  care  of  about  300  sheep,  and  "  in  the  more 
sterile  parts  of  the  Colony,  ichcre  three  acres  oj'the  vnculticatcd  around  are 
scarce!  1/  si/jficientjor  the  support  of  one  sheej),  the  labor  is  very  severe."  || 

Mr.  Samuel  Lawrence  recently  wrote  me  : 

"  I  saw  a  gentleman  from  England  a  few  months  since  who  has  an  admirable  flock  in 
New  South  Wales,  ol  twenty-five  tluxisand  sheep,  autl  he  assured  me  he  had  not  received  a 
penny  ofincome  IVom  them  since  1838." 

Van  Diemen's  Land  (containing  28,000  square  miles)  is  claimed  by  Mr 
Youatt§  to  be  superior  in  several  respects  to  Australia  as  a  wool-growing 
country.  Table  8  does  not,  however,  show  that  its  exports  increase  any 
more  rapidly. 

Both  of  these  Islands,  as  colonies  of  Great  Britain,  send  their  wool  to 
the  latter  duty  free,  and  they  save  1  cent  per  pound  on  wool  costing  less 
than  24  cents,  and  2  cents  on  that  exceeding  that  value.  ]3ut  this  by  no 
means  offsets  against  the  additional  cost  of  freight,  over  that  exported  liom 
the  United  States,  Hungary,  or  the  south  of  Russia.  While  it  is  only 
3,375  miles  from  New- York  to  London,  it  is  not  less  than  13,000  miles 
from  Sydney  or  Hobart's  Town  to  the  latter  place.  Professor  McCulloch 
states  (art.  Sydney)  that  the  expense  of  conveying  a  passenger  to  Sydney 
is  about  three  times  that  of  conveying  one  to  Quebec.  I  see  no  reason 
why  a  coiTesponding  difference  should  not  exist  in  the  freights  ;  and  in 
that  case,  freights  from  the  United  States  would  be  two-thirds  less  than 
from  Australia. 

I  pretend,  Sir,  to  no  power  of  vaticination  on  this  subject,  but  the  con- 
clusions which  /draw  from  a  review  of  all  the  foregoing  facts  are  as  follows  : 

1.  That  wool-growing  is  never  likely  to  permanently  and  importantly^ 
increase  in  any  of  the  countries  of  Europe,  unless  it  be  in  Hungary,  Tur- 
key, and  the  south  of  Russia. 

2.  That  it  is  more  likely  to  decrease  than  increase  in  Great  Britain, 
France,  Portugal  and  Italy. 

3.  That  such  a  decrease  is  next  to  certain  in  Spain  and  Germany,  (in- 
cluding Prussia  and  Austria  in  the  latter,)  excepting  Hungary  and  Tran- 
sylvania ;  that  the  decrease  will  be  much  more  consideral)le  in  Germany  ; 
that  its  rapidity  and  extent  will  be  proportioned  to  the  rapidity  and  extent 
with  which  the  market  is  supplied  from  countries  which  can  grow  wool 
cheaper,  such  as  North  and  South  America,  Hungary,  Southern  Russia, 
and  Australia. 

4.  That  wool-growing  will  undoubtedly  largely  increase  in  Hungary  and 
Southern  Russia — and  that  it  ought  to  in  European  and  Asiatic  Turkey, 
but  will  not,  extensively,  until  the  character  of  the  people  and  their  po- 
litical institutions  are  changed. 

5.  That  it  will  also  increase  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  Australia  and 
Van  Diemen's  Land  ;  but  that  its  economical  extension  in  either  of  these 
countries  is  limited,  especially  if  America  becomes  a  competitor. 

*  Calling  the  Eneli^h  shillineSS  cents,  according  to  Report  of  Dirrctor  of  U.  S.  Mint,  1827. 

t  Report  of  a  Ci)ramittoe,  ic,  quoted  by  Mr.  McCulloch — Com.  Die.  ;  art.  Sydney. 

t  CuDDingham's  Two  Years  in  New  South  Wales,  vol.  i.,  p.  254. 

fl  Youau  on  the  Sheep,  p.  ItS.  §  Qi/ctb  vide,  p.  190. 

VI  f>ay  "importantly,"  because  Pweden, Norway,  Denmark,  d:c.,  in  that  spirit  of  renderine  themselves  in- 
dependent of /orf i>n  supplies,  which  chamcterizes  all  nations,  may,  and  probably  will  eiticnd  their  wool 
culture :  but  it  will  be  too  unprofitable  a  struggle  against  Nature,  to  be  carried  to  a  very  great  extent. 

a 


122  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

6.  That  no  part  of  the  Eastern  Continent  or  its  islands,  all  things  con- 
sidei-ed,  possess  equal  advantages  for  wool-giowing  with  some  parts  of 
the  United  States.  1.  The  climate  of  many  portioTis  of  the  latter  (in  the 
South)  is  not  excelled  by  that  of  the  most  favored  situations  in  Hungary 
or  Australia ;  and  in  this  respect  it  is  decidedly  superior  to  the  south  of 
Russia,  2.  The  soils  of  vast  sections  of  the  United  States,  with  the  above 
climate,  are  more  uniformly  fertile  and  adapted  to  pasturage  than  those  of 
either  Hungary  or  Southern  Russia — and,  as  a  whole,  are  entirely  supe- 
rior to  those  of  Australia.  3.  The  regions  alluded  to  in  the  United  States, 
are  better  watered  with  running  sti'eams  than  either  of  the  other  named 
countries — have  not  the  vast  and  unhealthy  morasses  of  Hungary — and 
are  not  subject  to  the  destructive  drouths  of  Australia.  4.  The  land  is 
cheaper  in  the  United  States  than  in  Australia,  and  (my  impression  is) 
than  in  Hungary  or  Southern  Russia;  and,  in  the  Southern  States,  labor 
costs  no  more  than  in  the  two  latter,  and  far  less  than  in  the  former.  5.  In 
accessibility  and  nearness  even  to  the  great  European  wool  market,  the 
United  States  stand  on  equal  terms,  at  least,  with  Hungary  and  Southern 
Russia,  and  the  distance  from  Sydney  (in  Australia)  to  London  is  nearly 
four  times  the  distance  from  New-York  to  London.  6.  In  no  respect  do 
either  of  these  countries,  the  most  favored  in  the  Old  World,  excel,  in  my 
judgment,  for  the  purposes  of  Sheep  Husbandry,  large  portions  of  the 
United  States  ;  and  I  believe  those  portions  of  the  United  States  can  sell 
wool  in  the  English  market  at  a  better  profit  on  all  the  capital  invested 
than  either  of  the  above  countries,  with  the  possible  exception  of  the  most 
favoi-ed  portions  of  Hungary. 

Our  surplus  wools  can,  therefore,  at  any  time,  be  exported  to  England 
at  a  reasonable  profit.  This  is  true,  even  of  wools  gi'own  in  the  Northern 
States.  In  1845,  the  United  States  exported  wool,  (mainly  to  England,)  to 
the  value  of  $22,153  ;  and  in  1846,  to  the  value  of  $203,996.  This  was  a 
commercial  experiment,  and  although  it  is  not  understood  to  have  resulted 
in  any  profit  to  the  exporters,  the  wool  sold  at  an  advance  on  the  Ameri- 
can prices  current — and  would  have  sold  so  as  to  have  realized  a  handsome 
profit  to  the  exporters,  had  it  been  properly  sorted  and  otherwise  prejjared 
to  meet  the  requisitions  of  the  English  market.  Statements  of  this  kind 
have  been  published  by  one  of  the  most  prominent  of  the  exporters.  It 
would  seem,  from  Mr.  Lawrence's  statement,  already  quoted,  that  the 
prices  of  Australian  wools  have  not  yielded  a  profit  over  all  expenses, 
during  the  same  years.  The  quality  and  style  of  our  wool  have  been 
praised  by  the  English  press,  and  are  understood  to  have  given  high  satis- 
faction to  the  English  manufacturers.  On  the  whole,  then,  we  may  regai'd 
this  expeiiment  as  a  successful  one.  The  American  prices  cun-ent  of  those 
years  were  about  32  cents  per  pound.  We  have  seen  that  the  actual  cost 
of  wool  (including  all  expenses,  and  7  per  cent,  on  price  of  land  and  sheep) 
in  the  Northern  States  may  be  set  down  at  about  27  cents  per  pound.* 
These  facts  show  that  a  remunerating  price  can  be  obtained  for  even  North- 
cm  wool  in  England — if  a  profit  on  investment  considerably  exceeding 
the  highest  legal  rate  of  interest  (7  per  centum)  is  to  be  considered  "  re- 
munerating." And  if  this  is  true  of  the  Northern  wools  of  the  United 
States,  how  much  more  so  would  it  be  of  those  of  the  South,  the  first  cost 
of  which  has  been  estimated  at  less  than  one-third  that  of  the  former !  t 

I  see  not,  therefore,  a  shadow  of  a  reason  why  our  Southern  States 
might  not  embark,  at  once,  with  perfect  safety,  in  an  extensive  production 
of  wool,  if  they  had,  only  the  foreign  market  to  look  to.     I  hesitate  not  to 

*  See  Letter  V.  t  lb. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  123 

assert  that  tliey  could  drivo  all  the  European  nations  from  the  market, 
with  the  two  or  three  exceptions  heretofore  speciHed  ;  and  with  these,  as 
well  as  the  most  favored  Austro-Oriental  rejiions,  they  could  main- 
tain a  successful  competition.  The  same  remark  is  tiiie  of  the  Austro- 
Occidental  regions  of  our  own  continent.  And  it  is  diflicult  to  foresee 
the  ultimate  extent  of  this  trans- Atlantic  demand  for  wool.  Vast  portions 
of  the  Old  World,  in  those  zones  where  wool  must  eventually  hecome  the 
principal  article  of  clothins:,  are  but  just  stepping  within  the  verge  of 
civilization — just  laying  aside  the  skins  and  peltry  of  the  pastoral  nomad 
and  the  savage  hunter,  for  garments  of  cloth.  In  1771,  England  imported 
1,829,772  lbs.  of  wool ;  in  1840,  the  import  was  52,959,221  lbs. !  In  1771, 
the  export  of  woolens  was  ^4,960,240.  In  1840,  the  export  of  woolens 
was,  c£'5,652,917,  and  of  woolen  and  worsted  yam  c£3, 796,644.  Making 
all  necessary  allowance  for  the  diH'erence  in  pnces,  the  increase  in  the  ex- 
port beai-s  no  comparison  whatever  to  that  in  the  import.  What  seems  to 
be  the  unavoidable  conclusion]  It  is  that  the  consumption  of  a  population 
of  27,000,000  (the  population  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland)  has  thus  enor- 
mously swelled  within  the  period  of  slxti/-nine  years  !  This  too  in  a  coun- 
try with  a  mild  climate — which  at  the  beginning  of  that  period  (1771)  was 
as  far  advanced  in  social  and  political  civilization,  and  the  mass  of  whose 
people  were  as  well  clothed  and  better  fed,  than  those  of  any  nation 
on  the  Eastern  Continent  !  It  is  not  necessary  to  follow  up  this  idea. 
Progress  is  an  inseparable  condition  of  humanity,*  and  civilization  is  its 
fruit.  With  the  latter,  new  wants — a  demand  for  greater  comforts  and 
luxuries — steadily  keep  pace  ;  and  with  these  again  keeps  pace  the  increase 
of  population.t  Both  the  latter  causes  conspire  to  swell  the  demand  for 
cloths ;  and  both  causes  are  at  work  in  this  Nineteenth  Century,  in  a  ve- 
locity of  ratio  which  would  fill  aMalthus  and  Ricardo  with  consternation — 
if,  indeed,  it  did  not  convince  them  of  the  fallacy  of  their  gloomy  theoi'ies. 
I  dare  to  predict  that  the  time  will  come  when  the  present  Russian  Em- 
pire will  consume  a  gi'eater  amount  of  woolens  than  the  whole  Eastern 
Continent  now  does!  This  may  not  come  to  pass  in  a  day  or  a  century — 
but  unless  retarded  by  unnatural,  not  to  say  vnusvul  causes,  our  posterity 
in  the  third  or  fourth  remove  will  be  likely  to  witness  it !  Away,  then,  with 
those  fallacious  fears  of  over-production  of  cotton,  bread-stuffs,  etc. — the 
opposite  extreme  of  Malthusianism — which  have  disturbed  the  repose  of 
producers  who  are  not  content  to  let  the  gieat  natural  cunents  of  demand 
and  supply  regulate  each  other  ;  or  rather,  who  are  not  content  with  those 
fair  and  just  profits  which  they  would  receive  under  such  an  order  of 
thinfjs.f 

But  the  American  wool-grower  is  not  compelled  to  look  to  the  European 
market,  unless  he  enormously  increases  his  own  production — and  contin- 
ues to  increase  it  with  the  increase  of  the  po})ulation.  The  Census  of  1840 
shows  that  the  number  of  sheep  in  the  United  States,  in  1839,  was  nearly 
20,000,000.  These  have  been  steadily  increasing,  and  probably  now  greatly 
exceed  that  number.     Yet  these  have  never  supplied  the  demand  of  our 


*  This  may  not  be  thought  to  accord  with  precedine  statetnentg  in  relation  to  the  unchsnspability  of 
Asiatic  character  and  customs.  Particular  families  or  races  of  mankind  have  always  advanced  tlowlv"  but 
the  course  of  the  world,  as  a  whole,  is  onward.  The  circle  of  civilization  widens,  and  races  which  come 
in  contact  with  it,  receive  it,  or  are  conquered  and  absorbed  by  the  civilized  races. 

t  When  1  speak  of  luiurirs  promoting  the  increase  of  population,  I  do  not  uso  the  word  in  its  invidiotia 
sense.  I  mean  by  it  those  things  which,  ihoagh  not.  strictly  speaking,  necasarict,  tend  to  promote  human 
comfort. 

t  I  mean  this  remark  in  no  ultra  spirit  Governments  must  be  supported  and  resources  raised.  Inci- 
dental protection  may  be  justly  alforded  to  the  products  of  acricultural  or  mechanical  skill,  undi  r  certain 
circumstances.  But  the  fewer  of  these  restrictions  that  are  found  necessary,  the  more  rapidly,  as  a  general 
rule,  the  wealih  and  comfort  of  mankind  and  nationt  are  advanced. 


124 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


own  manvfactories  alone.     The  following  Table*  will  show  the  value  of 
the  imports  of  wool  into  the  U.  S.  from  1837  to  1847  : 

TABLE  No.  9. 


Average  im- 
ports of  1837, 
1838  &  1839. 

Average  im- 
ports of  1840, 
1841   &    1842. 

t  Import  of 
1843. 

Import  of 

1844. 

Import  of 

1845. 

Import  of 
1816. 

Wool  not  costing 
to  exceed  7   cts. 
a  lb       

^  $558,458 
801.087 

$759,646 
1.004,312 

$190,352 
54  695 

$754,441 
97,019 

$1,553,789 
136,005 

$1,107,305 
26921 

Exc'dinp7cts.alb 

Total $1,359,545 

$1,763,958   1      $24.5,047 

$851,460 

$1,689,794 

$1,134,226 

It  may  be  a  matter  of  interest  to  know  from  what  countries  these  wools 
were  imported.  The  following  Table  if  will  give  this  information  for  the 
last  fiscal  year,  (1846,)  and  will  also  give  a  general  idea  of  our  wool  trade. 


TABLE  No.  ID. 


Whence  Imported. 


Rus.sia 

Hanse  Towns 

Holland 

Dotch  West  Indies 

Belgium 

England 

Scotland 

Gibraltar 

Cape  of  Good  Hope 

British  West  Indies 

British  American  Colonies. 

France 

Spain 

Italy 

Trieste  (Austria) 

Turkey 

Morocco  (Africa) 

Mexico 

Brazil , 

Argentine  Republic 

Chili 

Peru , 

Asia,  generally 


Total. 


Wools  not  txcetdiiig  7  ctnts 
per  pound. 


Quantity. 


Pounds. 
955,163 
6,966 

10,774 

7,177 

1,188,800 

21,132 

207,006 

83,662 

8.694 

168,589 

84,799 

20,730 

81,156 

111.981 

5,744,328 

72.816 

425,148 

45,  215 

4,295,659 

1.819,772 

122.686 

945,729 


16,427,952 


Dollars 
60.678 
330 

556 

248 

3.5,944 

1,382 

12.339 

6,810 

.537 

9,543 

5,424 

1,425 

4,720 

8,151 

398,822 

4,554 

26.984 

3,083 

327,.572 

130,837 

8.588 

58,778 


1,107,305 


Wools  exceeding'  7  ce7tts 
per  pound. 


Quantity. 


Pounds. 


13,820 
170 


1,407 
28,406 


39,346 
396 


43,831 
2,397 


130,295 


Pounds. 


8,433 
93 


775 
6,668 


70 

4,562 

40 


6,011 


269 


26,921 


That  the  course  of  trade  indicated  by  the  above  Table,  will,  as  has  been 
already  intimated,  be  materially  affected  by  the  New  Tariff,  I  think  there 
can  be  but  little  doubt.  That  of  several  of  the  places  enumerated,  too, 
has  been,  heretofore,  merely  a  transit  one. 

To  the  following  letter  from  the  most  extensive,  and  concededly  leading 
American  woolen  manufacturer,  T  would  call  your  particular  attention. 
Several  of  its  declarations,   placed  in  italics,  by  me,  are  highly  significant. 

Lowell,  Mass.,  Feb.  10,  1847. 
Henhy  S.  Randall,  Esq.,  Cortland  Village,  N.  Y. 

M;i  Dear  Sir  :  Your  very  kind  and  interesting  favor  of  the  27th  nit.  duly  came  to  hand 
and  .should,  if  prarticnhle,  have  received  an  carher  reply.  The  business  of  wool-i;rovvins;  iu 
this  couutry  is  destined  to  l)e  of  immense  importance,  and  I  am  firm  in  the  belief  that  within 
twenty-five  years  we  shall  produce  a  greater  quantity  than  any  other  nation. 


*  Compiled  by  me  from  Reports  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury. 

t  The  fiscal  year  1842  ended  on  the  30th  of  September.  Since  then,  the  returns  of  imports  and  exporta 
have  been  made  up  to  the  30th  of  June.  This  year,  therefore,  embraces  the  imports  of  nine  munlhs  only, 
eliding  on  June  30,  1843 ;  and  subsequent  years  end  30ih  of  June,  1844,  1845,  and  bo  on. 

X  Report  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  1846. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  125 


You  ask,  "  Is  the  pri-sent  lionio  ilciniiiul  su|ii)lied  ?"  There  is  not  enough  uniiuully  raiiicil 
in  the  countrv  liy  10, 000, 000  lbs.  to  nici't  the  (icinaiul  of  the  iniuiu lactones. 

You  lutk,  "  Uiial  countries  we  can  e.xport  wool  to.  &«.  7"  Tiiia  cr)untry  will  not  export 
wool  regularly  fur  fifteen  years, _/br  the  reason  that  the  cotnumjition  vill  hirrraye  ns  rojihlly 
as  the  proihirtion.  J  can  point  out  articles  made  of  wool  now  imjiorird,  wfiirk  irill  ret/tiire 
thirty  millions  of  pounds  of  that  of  a  medium  and  Ji/ie  quality,  to  supply  the  consump- 
tion  

The  l)usincss  of  maniifnrturinp^  irool  in  this  eonnfry  is  on  a  better  basis  than  ever  before, 
inasmuch  as  the  character,  sl>ill  and  capital  enframed  in  it  are  such  that  forkign  competi- 
Tio.N  IS  DEFIED.  A  Very  f CUD  years  and  all  articles  of  voool  used  here  will  be  of  home  manu- 
facture. 

Now  I  beg  of  you  to  keep  the  wool-growers  steady  to  the  mark.  Let  them  aim  to  excel 
in  the  blood  and  condition  of  their  flocks,  and  the  day  is  not  distant  when  they  will  be  amply 
remuuorated.     I  sluill  always  have  great  pleasure  in  heann-,'  from  you,  and  remain 

Youra  most  tidily,     SAAL  LAWRENCE. 

Mr.  Lawfence  has  certainly  got  the  annual  deficit  of  home  wools  low 
enous:h.  Table  10  shows  that  it  was  upward  of  16,000,000  lbs.  during  the 
last  hscal  year,  1846.  This,  of  itself,  is  something  of  a  inargin  for  the 
South,  or  some  other  new  domestic  producer,  to  fill ! 

Hitherto  we  have  simply  considered  the  amount  of  wool  necessary  to 
supply  our  iiian //factories.  But  these  establishments  fall  very  far  short  of 
working  up  all  the  wool  consumed  in  the  United  States,  even  exclusive  of 
home-made  fabrics.  The  following  Table*  will  show  the  value  of  the 
wuolens  imported  for  twenty-five»years,  up  to  and  including  1845  : 

TABLE  No.  n. 


lt?21..  $7,437,737 
1822...  12,18.1.904 
1823...  8,268,038 
1824...  8,386,597 
1825. ..11,392,264 


16i6..  88.431,974 
1827...  8.742,701 
1828...  8,679..505 
1829...  6,881,489 
1830...  .5.776,396 


1831.  Sl2,(;v.'7,229 
1832...  9.99-..',424 
1833...13.262,.509 
1834. ..11,879,328 
183.5. ..17.834, 424 


1836.  $21,080,003 
1837...  8,500.292 
1838.. .11,512,920 
1839.. .18,575,945 
1840...  9,071,184 


1841.  411,001,939 
1842...  8,375,725 
1843...  2,472,154 
1844...  9,47.5,762 
1845. ..10.066,176 


Here  is  another  and  still  broader  "margin^'  for  both  the  American 
^V<^o1-Grou^er  and  the  American  Manvfactnrer  to  fill ! 

With  a  country  well  adapted  to  the  production  of  wool  as  any  the  sun 
shines  on — which,  all  things  considered,  can  produce  it  more  cJnaph/  than 
any  extended  portion  of  any  trans-Atlantic  country — shall  we  continue  to 
import  raw  wool  ] 

\Vhether  we  should  continue  to  import  woolens  is  sufficiently  answered 
by  the  last  paragiaph  Init  one  of  Mr.  Lawrence's  letter,  fully  sustained  as 
the  facts  therein  set  forth  are  by  those  infallible  tests — the  diviilcjids  of  our 
manufacturing  establishments.  The  minimum  of  these,  in  ^veU  managed 
establishments,  has  already  been  stated  to  be  about  ten  per  centum  per 
annum.t  and  in  Mr.  LavvTence's  own  gi'eat  establishment  the  dividend  of 
1846  was  fifteen  per  cent.  Does  any  one  suppose  that  the  manufacturers 
of  England,  with  all  the  advantage  they  can  derive  from  cheaper  labor  J — 
(but  with  vastly  higher  prices  for  suitable  sites  and  buildings — land  taxes, 
parochial  taxes,  income  taxes — freights  and  duties  on  imported  wools, 
etc.  etc.) — do  or  can  make  dividends  touching  even  the  lowest  rate  above 
stated  1      T\\ey  cannot.  \\ 

'  Report  of  the  Pecrotnry  of  the  Trnasury,  1845.  t  Pee  Letter  VII. 

X  Thouch  not  diroetly  Hd^Tsed  on  the  point,  I  lake  it  for  granted  that  the  coet  of  machinery,  also,  U  gome- 
what  less  in  I'.nclnnd. 

II  It  may  be  gaid  that  the  two  iRPt-nnmed  extienee?  fall  on  the  consumer.  They  doubtIe»f>  would,  bnt  the 
Englij>h  innnufacturiT  bii?  to  cominie  with  thoee  of  France  and  thf  United  .>i|ate«,  a  much  larger  propor- 
tion of  whoi-e  Ktock  is  of  home  in""Wlh— the  laner  entirely,  in  Hne  fabiics.  The  abrocaiion  of  the  CornLnws 
will  he  of  immense  advaiiiBce  to  the  Knslifih  manufacturer,  and  enable  him  to  belter  compete  with  other 
countriea.  But  wliile  the  Bank  of  Kupland  ordinarily  discounts  paper  at  from  3  to  4  per  cent.,  and  while 
thifl  is  the  common  rate  of  inierect  in  that  country,  it  could  not  be  expectcil  that  manufacturing  capital 
would  he  allowed  to  draw  8  or  10,  and  much  less  15  per  cent.  Such  dividends,  in  a  cnuniry  whoso 
uninvested  capital,  or  that  drnwinir  so  low  a  rate  of  inleresH,  is  so  .auperabundant,  would  at  once  invite  a 
competition  which  would  sjwedily  bring  the  profits  of  manufacturinc  capital  down  to  a  level  with  lho«e  of 
Other  commercial  capital.     We  may,  therefore  conclude  that  no  luch  dividcods  arc  made. 


126  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE   SOUTH. 


Is  it  said  that  our  manufacturing  companies  have  often  been  com- 
pelled to  suspend,  or  break  up,  even  under  laws  as  favorable  to  them  as 
those  now  in  operation  1  The  reason  for  this  is  too  pointedly  and  perti- 
nently stated  by  Mr.  Lawrence  to  require  any  addition  at  my  hands,  in 
the  followinf  extract  from  a  letter  to  me,  bearing  date  April  13,  1847;  and 
it  will  be  seen  in  the  concluding  sentence  that  the  bold  and  manly  decla- 
rations of  his  preceding  letter  were  not  the  result  of  a  casual  or  momentary 
confidence,  but  are  debberately  reasserted  : 

"  The  manufacture  of  wool  has  often  been  disastrous  to  parties  who  have  embarked  in  it 
for  uiauv'  reasons,  two  of  which  are  sufticient — a  want  of  capital  cmd  a  want  of  skill.  These 
difficulties  are  beuig  obviated.  Caphalists  are  more  ready  to  emliark  under  certain  auspices, 
and  the  amount  of  skill  is  very  fast  increasing,  so  tliat  this  branch  is  on  a  footing  not  to  be 
moved.' 

Undisturbed  by  those  changes  of  vacillating  legislation,  or  those  move- 
ments in  the  National  Legislature  pointing  to  such  changes — at  one  time 
enormously  pampering  the  manufacturing  interest,  and  leading  to  over- 
action  and  rash  adventure — at  another,  threatening  it  with  disaster  and 
utter  subversion — our  manufacturers  will  steadily,  nay,  rapidly  advance. 
If  NOW  LET  ALONE,  they  will  soon  not  only  ''  drfy  foreign  competition''  in 
the  home  market,  but  there  is  not  a  single  good  reason  to  prevent  them 
from  defying  it  in  the  great  and  opening  niarket  of  South  America,  and 
even  in  the  Old  World.  Some  evils  or  errors  in  commercial  legislation 
are  less  to  be  deprecated  than  constant  changes.  The  present  Tariff,  so 
far  as  it  affects  wool  and  woolens,  is  the  result  of  a  compromise  of  inter- 
ests. It  may  not  be  perfect  in  principle  or  detail.  But  it  does  not  seem 
to  fliao-rantly  favor  or  oppress  any  interest.  I  speak  not  in  the  spirit  of  a 
politician,  or  of  the  representative  of  an  interest  or  section,  when  I  express 
the  hope  that  no  change  loill  be  made  or  attempted  in  this  portion  of  the 
Tariff,  until  the  lapse  of  years  shall  bring  about  other  changes  requiring 
it,  or  until  ample  experience  shall  clearly  call  for  a  revision  of  the  system. 

I  have  spoken  of  two  "  margins "  to  be  filled  by  the  Ameiican  wool- 
grower — the  present  deficit  in  supplying  our  own  manufactories,  and  sec- 
ondly, the  jrrospective  one,  as  our  manufactures  increase,  so  as  to  overtake 
and  then  keep  pace  with  the  consumption  of  an  increasing  population. 
The  demands  of  our  manufactories  will  advance  pari  passu  with  the  j^^o 
duction,  Mr.  Lawrence  predicts,  for  at  least  fifteen  years.  Why  not  foi 
fifty,  or  a  hundred!  Let  us  glance  at  the  prospective  consumption,  and  see 
if,  independent  of  exportations,  it  is  likely  to  require  any  curbs  or  hmits  to 
be  placed  on  j^roduction  or  manufacture. 

In  the  debates  in  Congress  on  the  Tariff  in  1828-9,  Mr.  Mallary  esti- 
mated the  consumption  of  woolens  in  our  country  at  $72,000,000  per 
ann. ;— $10,000,000  imported  ;  $22,000,000  manufactured  ;  $40,000,000 
home-made.  The  Committee  of  the  "  Friends  of  Domestic  Industry," 
who  met  in  New-York  in  1831,  reported  that  the  proportion  between  the 
amount  of  wool  worked  up  in  factories  to  that  in  families  was  as  3  to  2 ; 
that  the  entire  annual  product  of  wool  and  its  manufactures  in  the  U._  S. 
was  $40,000,000.  These  are  the  only  accessible  published  estimates  which 
now  occur  to  me. 

The  Census  of  1840  shows  that  the  value  of  woolens  made  in  our  manu- 
factories in  1839,  was  $20,696,999.  The  import  of  foreign  woolens  the 
same  year  was  $18,575,945,  and  of  raw  wool*  $1,359,445.  It  should  be 
remarked,  however,  that  the  import  of  woolens  is  considerably  higher  than 
that  of  any  year  before  or  since.     Taking  the  average  of  the  same  three 

•  Takin"  the  arerage  product  of  1837-8-9,  as  in  Table  9.    The  separate  import  of  1839  is  not  before  me. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


127 


years  for  which  the  import  of  the  raw  wool  is  given,*  (1837-8-9,)  it  would 
reach  but  812,863,051.  If  we  suppose  the  cuusuniption  to  equal  the  sup- 
})ly,  this  woulil  i^ive  S33,/)G0,0o0  as  the  value  oi' ihit  Jiuf or i/-muilc  woolt-us 
consumed  in  the  Uuiteil  States  in  1N39.  1  confess  I  have  uo  data  other  than 
conjectural  ones,  to  determine  the  amount  of  the  home-made  manufactures 
fur  that  or  any  other  year  ;  nor  do  1  know  that  any  other  persctn  has,  or  can, 
have  such  information.  The  United  States  Census,  singularly  enough 
does  not  include  this  as  a  separate  item.  It  strikes  ?/ic,  however,  that  Mr. 
Mallary's  estimate  is  too  high,  and  tliat  of  the  Ivej)ort  oi'  the  "  Friends  of 
Domestic  Industry  "  too  low.  The  projjortion  of  home-made  to  factory 
woolens  is,  no  doulit,  annually  decreasing,  for  reasons  already  stated  ;t  but 
as  far  back  as  1^39,  it  would  perhaps  be  a  fair  estimate  to  set  them  down 
as  even.  This  would  give  §(37,120,100  as  the  value  of  the  woolens  con- 
sumed by  a  population  of  17,069,453,  or  nearly  S4  per  head.  Allowino- 
that  every  dollar  in  the  manufactured  article  wuuld  represent  one  pound 
of  stock,  or  raw  wool — and  taking  slave-cloths,  blankets,  carpets,  coarse 
home-made  fabrics,  factory  plains,  etc.,  all  into  account,  a  dollar  is  an  am- 
ple sum  to  oflset  against  every  pound  of  the  raw  material — it  follows  that 
our  whole  population  annually  consume  four  pounds  of  wool  per  head. 
Judge  Beatty  of  Kentucky,  in  an  estimate  published  originally  in  the 
American  Agriculturist,  which  has  been  much  (pioted,  sets  down  the  con- 
sumption as  about  6  lbs.  per  head.  An  ordinary  Northern  fanner  or  la- 
borer, in  comfortable  circumstances,  will  consume  about  20  lbs.  per  an- 
num ;|  the  poorer  one  not  far  from  15  lbs. ;  a  boy  of  8  years  old,  full  4  lbs. ; 
a  girl  of  that  age  (in  the  country,  where  females  are  dressed  in  woolens,) 
something  more  than  half  of  that  amount.  In  the  cities  and  villages  there  is 
a  large  class  whose  consumption  for  dress  ranges  from  30  to  40  and  even  50 
lbs.,  and,  inchuling  carpets,  much  more.  A  Southern  slave  consumes  from 
8  to  10  lbs.  Four  pounds,  therefore,  would  not  seem  to  be  a  hicrh  es- 
timate, per  head,  for  our  whole  population. 

Let  us  now  take  a  glance  at  the  increase  of  population  in  the  United 
States.     The  six  different  Censuses  give  the  following:  results  : 


TABLE  12. 


1T90,  Population  . 

1-00, 
IfilO, 


,0,305.941 
.7.239,814 


nOO,  Population 9,fi38,191 

It^yO,  12,866,020 

1840.  17.0ti9.4."3 


It  will  thus  be  seen  that  our  population  increases  at  a  compound  ratio 
of  about  three  per  cent,  per  annum,  which  would  double  it — assuming 
three  per  cent,  to  be  the  precise  rate  of  increase — in  23  years  164  days. 

Cheap  and  abundant  provisions — a  supply  of  fertile  lands  for  all  who 
choose  to  occupy  them,  &;c. — the  causes  which  have  conspired  to  give  so 
rapid  an  increase,  hitherto,  still  operate  to  as  great  an  extent  as  ever,  and 
will  continue  to,  at  all  events,  for  half  a  century,  after  the  Census  of  1840. 
Suppose  the  rate  of  increase,  then,  decreases  to  two  per  cent.,  which  would 
double  the  population,  reckoning  as  before,  once  in  about  38  years,  and 


•»  In  Table  9.  t  I,e«er  VII. 

t  He  will  wear  out,  durine  a  year,  1  coat,  4  yards  ;  1  pair  pants,  3  yards;  1  vest,  1  yard  ;  1  pair  flatinel 
drawer*,  2  yards  ;  1  tlannel  shin,  2J  yards  ;  4  pair  hose,  mittens,  ice  ,  Ij  lbs.,  which,  calling  a  yard  a  pound 
of  wool,  all  round,  would  amount  to  14  lbs.  His  eMra  or  holiday  suit,  8  yards,  will  lastH  yean',  and  bis 
overcoat.  6  yards,  4  years— makine  the  annual  conrumplion  of  both,  3  1-6  yards.  Two  tlunncl  shin*.  10 
yards,  will  last  two  pe/sons  eny  3  years,  making  the  annual  consumption  of  one,  1  1-9  yards.  No  account  ia 
here  made  of  coverlids,  wool  hats,  carpets,  still  used  by  many,  and  the  latter,  more  or  less  of  it.  to  be  found  in 
the  houses  of  nearly  all  farmers  in  "  comfonable  circumstances."  It  will  be  seen  that  00  lbs.  of  wool  per 
head  is  a  moderate  estimate.  The  above  enumeration  would  not  equal  to  exceed  two-thirds,  and  in  some 
rases  half  the  clothing  annually  consumed  by  the  smartly  dressing  young  men  who  have  labored  on  my 
Cartn ! 


128 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


that  it  doubles  twice  at  this  rate — and  the  following  would  be  the  result, 
and  the  amount  of  wool  required  by  the  population  at  the  periods  indicated : 

TABLE  No.  13. 


Ymr. 

Population. 

Amount  of  Wool. 
136,.^.'5.5,624 
273.111.248 

Year. 

Population. 

Amount  of  H'nnl. 

1863-4 

1P86-7  

34,138,906 
68,277,812 

192.5 

1963 

136.5.55,624 
273.111.248 

546,222,496 
1,092.444.992 

Thus  in  a  little  over  one  hundred  years,  onr  population  is  likely  to  ex- 
ceed the  present  one  of  Europe,  (which  is  233,500,000,)  and  we  have  now  a 
sufficient  territory  to  sustain  it  !  At  3  lbs.  of  wool  per  head  the  number 
of  sheep  requisite  to  supply  the  ho7ne  demand  in  1963,  would  be  over 
364,000,000  ! — far  more  than  are  now  to  be  found  on  the  whole  globe  ! — 
Such  are  some  of  the  rensonahlc  expectations  which  may  be  formed  of  the 
future  prospects  of  the  Home  wool  market. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  129 


LETTER    X. 

BREEDS  OF  SHEEP  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

Enuraeration  of  Importpd  Breeds..  .No  indiirenous  ones. .."  Narive  "  Sheep— their  Oricin — Views  of  ^fr 
YouHU — .Mr.  Livingston — their  true  Oritui  — tht,-ir  Knrly  In-renfc  in  New.K.niilaml . .  ViuiUiTiionk'a  description 
of  the  Sheep  and  their  increase  introduced  from  Hulland  into  New.Net.ierland  (New-Yiirk).  ..Character- 
wtics  of  the  Native  Sheep..  ..\ccount  of  the  Introduction  of  Merinos  into  the  United  .States..  .Their  valua- 
tion atdirt'erent  periods. .  .The  Spanish  sub-varieties — Meryed  in  the  United  States. .  .Purity  of  blood  of  the 
descendMuts  of  ine  Early  Imponaiions ...  Spurious  Merinos.  ..Weicht  of  Fleece  of  the  Spanish  and  French 
(Hambouillet)  families.  ..Description  of  the  latter..  .American  FHmilie;< — their  Characteristics..  Doctor  Em- 
monii's  .Meajuremenls  of  the  Fineness  of  Wool  of  individuaU  of  the  American,  Spani.'ih,  and  French  families 
— also  of  other  breeds.. The  Characteristics  of  the  Merino — iia  Crosses.  ..The  Saxon  Sheep — its  Oriain — 
Varietie-' — Treatment  in  Germany — Introduction  into  the  United  States...  Purity  of  blood  in  our  present 
flocks — Weiilht  of  Fleece — Characteristics.  ..The  New  Leicester  or  "  Bakewell  " — Oii:;in — Character  in 
Kn^land — Introduction  into  the  United  States — Valuation  in  the  latter — Characteristics... South-Down 
Shtep — Origin — Characteristics — Introduction  into  the  United  States.. Mr  Ellinan's  description  of  a  perfect 
anininl.  .Col- wold  Sheep — Original  Stock — Crossed— the  improved  variety— Characteristics  of— Introituction 
into  the  United  States.. Cheviot  Sheet) — Importation  into  the  United  States — Original  Stock— Crossed — 
improved  variety — Cbaiacteristica.. -Broad-Tailed  Sheep — Iniroductioa  into  our  Country — Characteristics. 

Dear  Sir  :  It  is  believed  by  those  competent  to  juJtire,  and  who  have 
investigated  the  subject,  that  our  country  now  possesses  every  known  breed 
of  sheep  which  could  be  of  particular  benefit  to  its  husbandry.  In  pro- 
ceeding to  give  an  account  of  the  sheep  of  the  United  States,  I  do  not 
deem  it  necessary  to  take  up  your  time  with  a  detailed  li'istory  of  each 
race.  The  zoologist  or  breeder  anxious  to  obtain  this  information,  will 
find  it  given  with  great  elaboration  and  accuracy,  in  the  admirable  work 
on  Sheep  by  the  late  Mr.  Youatt.* 

The  pnncipal  breeds  in  the  United  States  are  the  "  Native,"  (so  called)  ; 
the  Spanish  and  Saxon  Merinos,  introduced  from  the  countries  whose 
names  they  bear;  the  New  Leicester  or  Bakewell,  the  South-Down,  the 
Cotswold,  the  Cheviot,  and  the  Lincoln  from  England.  The  common 
sheep  of  Holland  were  early  imported  by  the  Dutch  emigi-ants  who  origi- 
nally colonized  New- York,  but  have  long  since  ceased  to  exist  as  a  dis- 
tinct variety.  The  Broad-Tailed  Sheep  of  Asia  and  Africa  have  several 
times  been  introduced  from  Persia,  Tunis,  Asia  Minor,  etc. 

Chancellor  Livingston  also  speaks  of  two  "races  as  'indigenous  '  to  this 
countiy,  which  we  have  not  enumerated,  as  it  is  not  known  to  the  Com- 
mittee +  that  they  are  now  bred  in  any  portion  of  the  United  States, 
viz.,  the  Otter  and  Smith's  Island  Sheep,  breeds  said  to  have  been  discov- 
ered on  two  islands  on  our  Atlantic  coast.  An  almost  infinite  variety  of 
crosses  have  taken  place  between  the  Spani.sh,  English,  and  '  native  '  fami- 
lies.    To  so  great  an  extent,  indeed,  has  this  been  carried,  that  there  are, 

*  Also  in  Mr.  BischofTs.  .Spooner's,  etc.,  (English)  works,  and  Mr.  Morrel's  "American  Shepherd" — the 
hittorkal  parts  of  all  of  which  are  compiled  mainly  from  Mr.  Youalt 

♦  At  the  Annuid  Meetinc  of  the  New-York  .'^tate  Agricultural  Society,  1P37.  a  Committee  was  appointed  to 
report  at  the  next  Annual  Meeiin:^  of  the  Society,  on  the  •'  C'Diidition  and  Comimrative  Value  of  tlf  .S'veral 
Breeds  of  Sheep  in  the  United  States.''  The  Commin<'e  consisteil  of  nenr>-  S.  Randall  of  Cortland,  Henry 
I).  Grove  of  Rensselaer,  John  B.  Duane  of  Schenectady,  Francis  Rf)tch  of  Otseco.  and  C.  N  Bement  of  Alba- 
ny. These  yenllemen  were  at  the  time  breeders  of  all  or  nearly  all  the  most  important  varieties,  and  it  was 
expected  that  each  would  write  that  portion  of  the  Report  treating  of  the  one  or  ones  bred  by  himself  The 
Committee,  however.  desired^<r  rather  required  me  to  write  the  whole  Report,  which'l  did,  with  the 
exception  of  quotations  from  authors.  The  Committee  met  in  Albany,  prior  to  the  presentation  of  the  Re- 
port, and  the  late  Thomas  Dunn  and  several  other  breeders  were  present  by  invitation.  The  Report  was 
unanimou.sly  adopted  by  the  Committee,  and  assented  to  by  the  breeders  present.  I  do  not  now  quote  or 
adopt  all  the  conclusions  of  that  Report  Experience  has  compelled  me  to  modify  some  of  my  opinions, 
and  actual  cJtan^ts  in  the  breeds  have  taken  place.  But  I  have  mentioned  the  above  facts,  to  show  the  au- 
thority on  which  the  statements  which  I  have  quoted,  rest ;  and  also  becau.se  the  Report  has  been  oftea 
quoted  from,  sometimes  without  any  credit,  and  sometimes  erroneously  credited. 

[To  save  constant  reference,  it  will  be  understood  that  all  the  matter  quoted  in  this  Letter  from  the  Re- 

Sort  will,  unUke  the  cases  where  Mr.  Randall  quotes  at  any  length  from  the  writincs  of  others,  be  printed 
I  (be  same  type  wiih  the  body  of  the  Letter,  and  simply  marked  with  quotaiion  points.  Publisher.] 

R 


130  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

comparatively  speaking,  few  flocks  in  the  United  States  that  preserve  en- 
tire the  distinctive  characteristics  of  any  one  breed,  or  that  can  lay  claim  to 
unmixed  purity  of  blood." 

Native  Sheep. — "  Although  this  name  is  popularly  applied  to  the  com- 
mon coarse-wooled  sheep  of  the  country,  which  existed  here  previously 
to  the  importation  of  the  improved  breeds,  there  is,  properly  speaking,  no 
race  of  sheep  '  native '  to  North  America.  Mr.  Livingston,  in  speaking 
of  a  race  as  '  indigenous,'  only  quoted  the  language  of  another,*  and  his 
informant  was  either  mistaken  as  to  the  fact,  or  misapprehended  the  term. 
The  only  animal  of  the  genus  Ovis  Aries,  originally  inhabiting  this  coun- 
try, is  the  Argali,t  known  to  our  entei-prising  travelers  and  traders  who 
have  penetrated  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  where  the  animal  is  found,  as 
the  Big  Horn.|  Though  the  pelage  of  the  Argali  approximates  but  little 
to  the  wool  of  the  domestic  sheep,  they  are,  as  is  well  known,  considered 
"by  naturalists  to  have  belonged  originally  to  the  same  species  ;  and  the 
changes  which  have  taken  place  in  the  form,  covering,  and  habits  of  the 
latter,  are  attributed  to  his  domestication,  and  the  care  and  skill  of  Man 
during  a  long  succession  of  yeai's. 

"  The  common  sheep  of  the  United  States  were  of  foreign  and  mostly  of 
English  origin.  The  writer  of  the  volume  on  Sheep  in  the  '  Farmer's  Se- 
ries,' [Mr.  Youatt,]  speaks  of  them  as  '  although  somewhat  differing  in  va- 
rious districts,  consisting  chiefly  of  a  coarse  kind  of  Leicester,  originally 
of  British  breed.'||  Others  have  seen,  or  fancied  they  saw,  in  some  of 
them,  a  strong  resemblance  to  the  South-Downs.  Mi".  Livingston  was  of 
this  number.§  But  it  is  far  more  probable  that  they  can  claim  a  common 
descent  from  no  one  stock.  Our  ancestors  emigrated  from  different  sec- 
tions of  the  British  Dominions,  and  some  portion  of  them  from  other  parts 
of  Europe.  They  brought  their  implements  of  husbandry,  and  their  do- 
mestic animals,  to  fertilize  the  wilderness.  Each,  it  would  be  natural  to 
suppose,  made  choice  of  the  favorite  bree^  of  his  own  immediate  district 
to  transport  to  the  New  World,  and  the  admixture  of  these  various  races 
formed  the  mongrel  family  now  under  consideration.  Amid  the  perils  of 
wai',  and  the  incursion  of  beasts  of  prey,  they  were  preserved  with  sedu- 
lous care.  As  early  as  1676,  Mr.  Edward  Randolph,  in  a  '  Narrative  to 
the  Lords  of  the  Privy  Seal,'  speaks  of  New-England  as  *  abounding  with 
sheep.'  "^ 

Vanderdonk,  writing  in  1790,  thus  speaks  of  the  sheep  introduced  from 
Holland  into  New-Netherland  (now  New-York)  by  the  Dutch  emi- 
grants : — 

"  Sheep  are  also  kept  in  the  New-Netherlands,  but  not  as  many  as  in  New-England,  where 
the  weaving  business  is  canied  on,  and  where  much  more  attention  is  paid  to  them  than  by 
the  New-Netherlanders.  The  sheep,  however,  thrive  well,  and  become  fat  enough.  I  have 
seen  mutton  there  so  exceedingly  fat  that  it  was  too  luscious  and  otiiensive.  The  sheep  breed 
well  and  are  healthy  ;  they  find  good  pasture  in  summer,  and  good  hay  in  winter ;  but  the 
flocks  require  to  be  guarded  and  tended  on  account  of  the  wolves,  for  which  purpose  men 
cannot  be  spared.  There  is  also  a  more  important  hindrance  to  tlie  keeping  of  sheep,  which 
are  chiefly  cultivated  for  their  wool.  New-Netherland  is  a  woody  country  throughout,  being 
almost  everywhere  beset  with  trees,  stumps  and  biaishwood,  wherein  the  sheep  pasture, 
and  by  which  they  lose  most  of  their  wool.  This  is  not  apparent  until  they  are  sheared, 
when  the  fleeces  turn  out  very  light." 

"  The  common  sheep  yielded  a  wool  only  suited  to  the  coarsest  fabrics, 
averaging,  in  the  hands  of  good  farmers,  from  3  to  3^  lbs  of  wool  to  the 


*  Livingston's  Essay  on  Sheep,  pp.  56,  60.  t  Godman's  American  Natural  History. 

\  The"  woi'ly  sheep"  of  the  Itocky  Mountains,  the  description  of  which  is  quoted  by  Mr  Morrel,  (Ameri- 
can Shepherd,  p  131,)  from  Capt.  Bonneville,  is  a.  goal.  It  will  be  found  described  in  Godman's  Natural 
History,  vol  ii.  p.  326,  a  supra. 

y  Vol.  oa  Sheep,  p.  134.  §  Essay  on  Sheep,  p.  53.  %  Colouial  papers  of  Massachusetts. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


131 


fleece.  They  were  slow  in  an-iving  at  matunty,  compared  with  the  im- 
pioved  English  breeds,  and  yielded  when  fully  grown,  from  10  to  14  lbs. 
of  a  middling  quality  of  mutton  to  the  quarter.  They  were  usually  long- 
legged,  light  in  the  fore-quarter,  and  naiTow  on  the  breast  and  back,  al- 
though some  rare  instances  might  be  found  of  flocks  with  the  short  legs, 
and  some  approximation  to  the  general  form  of  the  improved  breeds.  The 
common  sheep  were  excellent  breeders,  often  rearing,  almost  entirely  des- 
titute of  care,  and  without  shelter,  one  hundred  per  cent,  of  lambs,  and  in 
small  flocks  a  still  larger  j)r<»porli<)n.  These,  too,  were  usually  dropped  in 
March  or  the  earlier  part  of  April.  Restless  in  their  disposition,  their  impa- 
tience of  restraint  almost  equaled  that  of  the  untamed  Argali,  from  which 
tliey  were  descended  ;  and  in  many  sections  of  our  country  it  was  common 
to  see  from  twenty  to  fifty  of  them  roving,  with  little  regard  to  inclosures, 
over  the  possessions  of  their  owner  and  his  neighbors,  leaving  a  large  por- 
tion of  their  wool  adhering  to  bushes  and  thorns,  and  the  remainder  placed 
jearly  beyond  the  possibility  of  carding  by  the  Tory  weed  ( Cynoglossum 
eJUcinale)  and  Burdock  (Arctium  lappa)  so  common  on  new  lands. 

"  The  old  common  stock  of  sheep,  as  a  distinct  family,  have  nearly  disap- 
peared, having  been  imiversally  crossed,  to  a  greater  or  less  extent,  with 
the  foreign  breeds  of  later  introduction.  The  first  and  second  cross  with 
tlie  Merino,  resulted  in  a  decided  improvement,  and  produced  a  variety 
exceedingly  valuable  for  the  farmer  who  rears  wool  only  for  domestic  pur- 
poses. The  fleeces  are  of  uneven  fineness,  being  hairy  on  the  thighs,  dew- 
lap, (Sec.  ;  but  the  general  quality  is  much  improved  ;  the  quantity  is  con- 
siderably augmented  ;  the  carcass  is  more  compact  and  nearer  the  ground  ; 
and  they  have  lost  their  unquiet  and  roving  propensities.  The  cross  with  the 
Saxon,  for  reasons  which  we  shall  hereafter  allude  to,  has  not  been  generally 
so  successful.  With  the  Leicester  and  Downs  the  improvement,  so  far  aa 
form,  size,  and  a  propensity  to  take  ou  fat  are  concerned,  is  manifest." 


MERINO  RAM. 

{Ikjiance,  17  month*  old,  bred  by  aad  the  property  of  Henry  S.  Randall.] 


132  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

Spanish  Merino. — "  The  history  of  this  celebrated  race  of  sheep,  so  far 
as  it  is  known,  has  so  often  been  brought  before  the  public  that  it  is  deemed 
unnecessary  here  to  recapitulate  it.  The  first  importation  of  them  into 
the  United  States  took  place  in  1801.  Four  were  shipped  by  Mr. 
Delessert,  a  banker  of  Paris,  three  of  which  perished  on  the  passage.* 
The  fourth  arrived  in  safety  at  Rosendale,  a  farm  owned  by  that  gentle- 
man near  Kingston,  in  this  State.  The  same  year  Mr.  Seth  Adams,  of 
Massachusetts,  imported  a  pair  from  France.  In  1802,  two  pairs  were 
sent  from  France  by  Mr.  Livingston,  the  American  Minister,  to  his  estate 
on  the  Hudson  ;  and  later  the  same  year,  Mr.  Humphrys,  our  Spanish 
Minister,  shipped  two  hundred,  on  his  departure  from  that  country,  for  the 
United  States."  Hon.  William  Jarvis,  of  Weathersfield,  Vermont,  then 
American  Consul  at  Lisbon,  sent  home  large  and  valuable  flocks  in  1809, 
1810,  and  1811.  The  particularly  favorable  circumstances  for  obtaining 
the  choicest  sheep  of  Spain,  under  which  these  were  procured,  you  will 
find  detailed  in  a  letter  to  me  from  Mr.  Jarvis,  dated  December,  1841,  pub- 
lished in  the  Transactions  of  the  New-York  State  Agricultural  Society  of 
that  year.  Various  subsequent  importations  took  place,  which  it  is  not 
important  to  particularize. 

The  Merinos  "attracted  little  notice,  until  our  difficulties  with  England  led 
to  a  cessation  of  commercial  intercourse  with  that  power,  in  1808  and  1809. 
The  attention  of  the  country  being  then  directed  toward  manufacturing 
and  wool-growing,  the  Merino  rose  into  importance.  So  great,  indeed, 
was  the  interest  excited,  that  from  a  thousand  to  fourteen  hundred  dollars  a 
head  was  paid  for  them."  Unfortunately  some  of  the  later  importations  "  ar- 
rived in  the  worst  condition,  bringing  with  them  those  scourges  of  the 
ovine  race,  the  scab  and  foot-rot.  These  evils  and  the  increased  supply, 
soon  brought  them  down  to  less  than  a  twentieth  part  of  their  former 
price  ;  they  could  now  be  bought  for  $20  a  head.  When,  however,  it  was 
established,  by  actual  experiment,  that  their  wool  did  not  deteriorate,  as 
had  been  feared  by  many,  in  this  country,  and  that  they  became  readily 
acclimated,  they  again  rose  into  favor.  But  the  prostration  of  our  manu- 
factories, which  soon  after  ensued,  rendered  the  Merino  comparatively  of 
little  value,  and  brought  ruin  to  numbers  who  had  purchased  them  at  their 
previous  high  prices.  The  rise  which  has  since  taken  place  in  the  value 
of  fine  wool,  as  well  as  the  causes  which  led  to  it,  are  too  recent  and  well 
understood  to  require  particular  notice.  With  the  rise  of  wool,  the  valua- 
tion of  the  sheep  which  bear  it,  has  of  course  kept  pace. 

"  The  Merino  has  been  variously  described.  This  arises  from  the  fact 
that  it  is  but  the  general  appellation  of  a  breed,  comprising  several  varie- 
ties, presenting  essential  points  of  difference  in  size,  form,  quality  and 
quantity  of  wool."  And  writers  of  high  authority  differ  even  in  their 
descriptions  of  these  families  or  varieties.  M.  Lasteyrie,  so  celebrated  as 
a  writer  on  sheep,  and  particularly  on  the  Merino,  and  Mr.  Jarvis  directly 
contradict  each  other  on  several  points.t  It  is  scarcely  necessaiy  now 
to  quote  their  conflicting  statements,  or  inquire  which  is  right — as  the  ques- 
tions involved  possess  no  practical  importance.  These  families  have,  gen- 
erally, been  merged,  by  interbreeding,  in  the  United  States  and  other 
countries  which  have  received  the  race  from  Spain.  Purity  of  Merino 
blood,  and  actual  excellence  in  the  individual  and  its  ancestors,  has  long 
since  been  the  only  standard  which  has  guided  sensible  men  in  selecting 
sheep  of  this  breed.     Families  have  indeed  sprung  up,  in  this  country,  ex- 


*  Archives  of  Useful  Knowlediie. — Cultivator,  vol.  i.  p.  IBX 

t  See  Lasteyrie  on  Sheop— or,  if  not  accessible — his  statements  quoted  hy  Mr.  Youatt,  p^]56.    For  Mr, 
JarvLs'a  etatemcnta,  see  his  Letter  to  L.  D.  Gregory,  quoted  in  American  Shepherd,  pp.  73,  74. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  133 

hibitincT  wider  points  of  ditrorcnre  than  did  those  of  Spain.  In  some  cases 
they  doubtless  owe  it  to  particular  courses  of  breedintj — but  more  often, 
probably,  to  concealed  or  forgotten  infusions  of  other  blood. 

The  point  has,  indeed,  been  occasionally  mooted,  whether  there  are 
any  Merinos  in  the  United  States,  descendants  of  the  early  importations, 
of  tfrtywM/m««/y/c  purity  of  blood.  That  tliere  are,  has  been  recently  defi- 
nitely settled  by  a  connected  chain  of  undisputable  and  undisputed  testimo- 
ny,* not  necessaiy  here  to  be  repeated.  That,  on  the  other  hand,  in  the 
recent  rush  of  speculation,  a  marvelous  facility  has  been  evinced,  in  some 
instances,  in  suddenly  recollecting  lost  links  in  the  chain  of  pedigree — or 
in  forgetting  others  which  it  would  not  be  expedient  to  remember,  no  one 
■would  require  any  proof  who  lias  seen  some  of  the  animals  which  have 
been  hawked  through  the  country  as  full-bloods. 

"  Taken  collectively,  the  Spanish  rams,  according  to  Chancellor  Living- 
ston, yield  about  eight  and  a  half  pounds  of  wool,  and  the  ewes  five,  which 
loses  half  in  washinrr — making  four  pounds  and  a  quarter  the  average 
weight  of  fleece  of  the  rams,  and  two  and  a  half  the  average  of  the  ewes.f 
Some  varieties  considerably  exceed  this  estimate,  and  probably  it  would 
fall  short  if  applied  to  the  prime  sheep  of  any  variety." 

The  fleeces  of  the  Merinos  at  Rambouillet  in  France,  it  is  stated  in  the 
Report  of  M.  Gilbert,  to  the  National  Institute,  quoted  by  Mr.  Living- 
6ton,t  weigh,  in  the  rams,  from  twelve  to  thirteen  pounds  (unwashed)  wool 
— taking  rams  and  ewes  together,  it  has  "  not  quite  attained  to  eight  pounds, 
after  deducting  the  tags  and  the  wool  of  the  belly,  which  are  sold  sepa- 
rately." Mr.  Livingston  remarks  that  the  French  pound  is  about  one- 
twelfth  heavier  than  the  English  ;  but  on  the  other  hand,  that  from  the  man- 
ner of  folding  and  housing  sheep  and  feeding  them  on  fallows  in  France, 
they  are  very  dirty,  and  lose  60  per  cent,  in  washing."]]  This  would  bring 
the  average  of  the  Rambouillet  flock  to  about  four  pounds,  exclusive  of 
tag  and  belly  wool. 

M.  Lastevrie  gives  the  followins:  annual  averages  per  head  of  the  Ram- 
bouillet flock  :  1796,  6  lbs.  9  oz.  ;^n97,  8  lbs. ;  179S,  7  lbs. ;  1799,  8  lbs. ; 
1800,  8  lbs. ;  1801,  9  lbs.  1  oz. — This  is  nnicashed  wool,  and  will  lose  half 
in  washing.  Mr.  Livingston's  imported  ewes  averaged  5  lbs.  2  oz. ;  his 
rams  6  lbs.  7  oz.,  of  unwashed  wool.§  The  later  importations  will,  judg- 
ing from  the  specimens  I  have  seen,  average  much  higher  than  the  latter. 
They  are  a  large  sheep,  with  good,  but  not  the  best,  quality  of  Merino 
■wool — some  of  the  larger  stocks  being  rather  coarse — and  not  very  uni- 
form, one  with  another,  either  in  their  appearance  or  fleeces — and  are 
most  remarkable  for  the  loose  pendulous  skin  which  hangs  about  their 
necks,  and  lies  in  folds  about  their  bodies.  They  are  free  from  hair — 
their  wool,  which  is  of  good  style,  opens  with  a  creamy  color,  and  rich  lus- 
tre, on  a  fine  rose-colored  skin.  Their  wool  is  long  on  the  back,  shortish 
on  the  belly — thick,  but  not  so  thick  as  that  of  many  of  the  American  Me- 
rinos— very  yolky,  but  destitute  of  concrete  external  gum. 

The  American  Merino  has,  as  already  intimated,  diverged  into  families 
or  varieties  presenting  wide  points  of  difference.  The  minor  distinctions 
are  numerous,  but  they  may  all,  perhaps,  be  classed  under  three  general 
heads.  The  first,  is  a  large,  short-letrged,  strong,  exceedins:ly  hardy  sheep, 
carrying  a  heavy  fleece,  ranging  from  medium  to  fine — free  from  hair  in 
properly  bred  flocks — somewhat  inclined  to  throntincss,  but  not  so  much 
60  as  the  Rambouillets — bred  to   exhibit  exteraal  concrete  gum  in  some 

*  This  testimony  will  be  found  in  a  Letter  from  me  to  A.  B.  Allen.  Esq.,  in  the  December  No  of  the 
American  Acriculturist.  1N4,  and  in  the  Cultivator,  I  thick,  of  the  wme  date— -if  not,  the  iucceeding  No. 
t  Livinj«on'9  K»«r.v  on  Sheep,  p  30.  J  Ibid.,  p.  49,  tt  rupra. 

U  LiviugetoD's  Essay  on  tibeep,  p  51.  §  Ibid.,  Appendix.  .^ 


134 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


flocks,  but  not  commonly  so — their  wool  longish  on  both  back  and  belly, 
and  exceedingly  dense — wool  whiter  within  than  the  Rambouillets — skin 
the  same  rich  rose-color.  The  ram  on  page  131  is  a  good  specimen  of  this 
variety,  though  his  age  is  not  sufficient  to  give  him  the  substance  and  com- 
pactness of  an  older  animal,  and  the  apparent  want  in  these  particulars  is 
Lightened  by  recent  shearing.*  His  first  fleece  of  well-washed  wool,  at 
thirteen  months  old,  Avas  S  lbs. ;  was  of  beautiful  quality,  and  entirely 
destitute  of  hair.  At  three  years  old  he  would  have  sheared  from  10  to  12 
lbs.  of  well-washed  wool.t 


MERINO  EWE. 


The  second  general  class  of  American  Merinos  are  smaller  than  the  pre- 
ceding— less  hardy — wool  as  a  general  thing  finer — covered  with  a  black 
pitchy  gum  on  its  extremities — fleece  about  one-fourth  lighter  than  in  class 
first. 

The  third  class,  which  have  been  bred  mostly  South,  are  still  smaller  and 
less  hardy — and  carry  still  finer  and  lighter  fleeces.  The  fleece  is  desti- 
tute of  external  gum.  The  sheep  and  wool  bear  a  close  resemblance  to 
the  Saxon  ;  and  if  not  actually  mixed  with  that  blood,|  they  have  been 
formed  into  a  similar  variety,  by  a  similar  course  of  breeding. 

Class ^rs^  are  a  larger  and  stronger  sheep  than  those  originally  imported 
from  Spain,  carry  much  heavier  fleeces,  and  in  well  selected  flocks,  or  in- 
dividuals, the  fleece  is  of  a  decidedly  better  quality.  The  ewe  from  my 
flock — the  portrait  of  which  is  given  above — sheared  7  lbs.  10  oz.  of  well- 
washed  wool. II  The  fibre  numbered  1.  in  fig.  1,  in  the  succeeding  measure- 
ments by  Dr.  Emmons,  is  from  this  fleece.  The  fleece  is  exceedingly  even 
and  entirely  destitute  of  hair. 

For  the  puipose  of  exhibiting  the   comparative  quality  of  the  wool  of 


*  The  portrait,  on  the  whole,  is  strikingly  accurate,  but  the  skill  of  the  artist  does  not  compensate  for  his 
want  of  experience,  in  animal  paintina,  in  eiving  the  anatomical  details  and  expression  of  the  countenance. 
The  same  remark  applies  to  the  portrait  of  the  ewe. 

t  Thii!  valuable  animal  died  since  the  above  portrait  was  painted,  and  prior  to  his  second  shearing. 

t  I  am  not  aware  what  pedigree  is  claimed  for  them.     Tiiey  are  usually  spoken  of  as  Merinos. 

U  i.  e. —  washed  as  clean  as  practicable  in  a  brook,  under  a  heavy  sheet  of  falling  water. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


135 


the  American,  Riimbouillot,  and  early  imported  Spanish  Merinos,  1  copy 
the  foliowin'T,  from  the  pi'ii  of  Ebenezer  Kmmons,  M.  1).,  State  Geoh)<(ist, 
in  the  American  Quarterly  Journal  of  Agriculture  and  Science,  of  which 
publication  Dr.  E.  is  the  Editor. 

"  Hiiviii":  given  yoii  a  pretty  full  report  nf  the  fiinn  nnd  stock  of  Mr.  Randall,  embracing 
many  details  also  in  the  several  hrant-hes  of  liusli.indry,  I  now  pi-opose  adding  a  few  words 
88  an  a[)peiidi\  to  that  re|)ort.  I  gave  K(une  intiniali<Mi,  when  8]»e!ikini(  ot  the  fineness  of 
the  wool  ot"  Mr.  K.'s  shee]>,  that  on  my  retm'n  honic^  1  would  furnish  soni(;thing  more  exact 
as  a  test  for  fineness  than  the  naked  eye.  In  fidlillment  v(  this  inlinntion,  1  have  been  en- 
gaged since  I  returned,  in  measuring  the  diameter  of  the  ditVerent  8ta|)les  which  I  procured 
while  at  Cortlaudville,  and  which  I  have  compared  with  others  obtained  of  our  mutual 
fi"iend,  Luther  Tucker,  E.sq.,  of  the  Cultivator. 

"  The  ditferent  kinds  are  indicated  by  nund)ers.  I  have  prepared  a  scale  which  is  equal 
to  100  millitiieters  ;  a  millimeter  is  equal  to  OO:?!)  of  an  inch.  The  hundredth  of  a  millime- 
ter,* and  the  fibres  of  wool,  are  all  subiecled  to  die  same  magnifying  ])ower  of  an  excellent 
Chevalier's  coni[)oimd  microscope.  The  comparison  is  both  absolute  and  relative  ;  but  it  is 
highly  interesting  to  see  the  perceptible  tliflerence  between  the  different  fibres  of  wool.  The 
microscope  also  reveals  other  difterences;  some  of  the  fibres  a|)peared  rather  uneven  or  flat- 
tened, and  destitute  of  a  clear  and  distinct  jiilh  or  tube ;  and,  in  fact,  I  may  remark  that  the 
microscope  is  really  the  best  method  of  testing  the  real  quality  of  wool."  .  .  . 

Fig.  1. 


"No.  1,  Mr.  Randall's;  No.  la,  fibre  of  Mr.  Randall's  prize  Merino  buck  ;t  No.  ]/>.  fibre 
from  one  of  Mr.  Randall's  fleeces;  No.  2  and  2a,  fibres  from  Mr.  Seth  Adams's  wool  ;  No. 
4,  Remilles  wool,  Shoi-eham.  Vt.  ;  No.  .5,  fibre  of  S.  O.  Burchard's  fine  wool.  Shoreham  ; 
No.  3.  fibre  of  Charles  L.  Smith's  wool,  Shoreham  ;  No.  G,  fibre  from  Collins's  Grandee.  The 
last  five  were  taken  fmm  wool  left  at  the  Cultivator  office.  In  all  the  fibr(^s  examined  there 
is  a  great  unifonuity  in  the  jiarcels ;  only  slight  differences,  in  fact,  could  be  detected  in  the 
several  diameters.  No.  7  shows  the  stnicture  of  wool  as  seen  under  the  microscope.  In 
the  corner  is  the  scale  of  measurement.  The  finest  fibre  as  magnified  in  this  cut  is  equal  to 
about  eighteen-hundredths  of  an  inch  in  diameter. 

•'  Another  inquiry  e(iually  important  with  the  i)receding  came  up  in  this  place  :  What  is 
the  strength  of  a  single  fibre  of  wool,  and  is  the  coarser  comparatively  sti'onger  than  the  fine? 
I  set  about  answering  those  inquiries  at  once,  and  now  give  you  the  result  below: 

•'  Mr.  Randall's  No.  16,  on  three  trials,  supported  on  an  average  62  grains ;  or,  rather, 
broke  when  tried  with  the  weight  of  62  grains. 

"  Mr.  R.'s  No.  \n  broke  with  .'J7-1  grains. 

"  The  fibre  from  Collins's  Grandee,  on  three  trials,  supported  on  an  average  84-6  grains. 

"  Mr.  Smith's  specimen  of  Shoreham,  Vt.,  on  three  trials,  gave  an  average  of  fi.">-6  gi-ains." 

No.  la  is  the  wool  of  my  ram  "  Premium,"  which  received  the  first  prize 


•  About  l-2o00  of  an  inch. 


t  Taken  from  the  aninial  by  Doct,  Emmons. 


136 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


at  the  State  Fair  at  Poughkeepsie,  1844,*  and  his  fleece  weighed  10  lbs. 
of  well  washed  wool. 

No.  2  and  2a,  (Mr.  Seth  Adams's  wool,)  were  from  the  sheep  imported 
by  that  gentleman. 

No.  6  was  fxom  Grandee,  the  best  ram  of  Mr.  Collins's  Rambouillet  im- 
portation. 

It  will  be  observed,  first,  that  the  American  wool  is  the  finest,  and 
second,  its  strength  is  greatest  in  proportion  to  its  diameter. 

It  will  probably  be  as  well  to  bring  Doct.  Emmons's  subsequent  meas- 
urements of  the  wool  of  other  individuals  and  varieties  together  at  this 
place,  as  to  scatter  them  through  the  desciiptions  of  the  several  breeds. 
It  will  render  a  comparison  between  them  more  convenient.  I  would  re- 
mark that  the  cuts  are  copied  from  those  of  Doct.  Emmons,  with  the 
strictest  fidelity.!     Indeed  they  are  perfect yac  similes. 

Fis  2. 


"Figin-e  2  (scale  of  measurement  same  as  in  Fig.  1)  exhibits  tlie  comparative  diameters  of 
the  wool  fibre  of  two  premium  Saxon  sheep  exhibited  at  the  State  Fair  at  Utica,  1845.  A  1 
is  a  fibre  of  wool  from  tlie  shoulder  of  the  2d  premium  sheep  (Mr.  Church's) ;  2  do.  from  the 
flank.     B  1,  fibre  from  the  shoulder  of  the  first  premium  sheep  (Mr.  Crocker's)  ;  2  do.  flank. 

Fig.  3. 


"  Fiji.  3,  No.  1.  fibre  of  Bakewell — about  the  average  fineness  of  this  kind  of  wool.  No.  2, 
fibre  from  Merino  ewe  belonging  to  Col.  Sherwood,  3  years  old  (Blakesley  sheep.)  No.  3 
do.  Mr.  Bailey's  ewe.     No.  4  do.  Mr.  Atwood's. 

Fig.  4. 


"  Fig.  4. — No.  .5,  fibre  of  Mr.  ElUs's  ewe,  fleece  weighing  6  lbs.  13  oz.  No.  6  do.  Mr.  Net- 
tletou's  yearling  Merino  buck.  No.  7  do.  a  sample  from  the  imported  5  per  cent.  South 
American  wool,  which  is  seen  to  be  nearly  as  fine  as  the  best  of  our  flocks.     No.  8  do.  Col. 


*  This  is  the  only  time  my  sheep  have  ever  been  shown  at  a  State  Fair,  and  I  first  made  arrangements 
for  exhibiiipjr.  in  the  expectation  of  having  the  privilege  of  comparing  my  sheep  with  the  imported  Ram- 
bouillets  of  Mr.  Collins.  Mr.  C,  however,  declined  my  invitation  to  show.  I  received  the  tirst  prize  on 
rams,  and  the  first  and  second  on  ewes. 

t  Executed  by  William  Howland,  of  New- York,  whom  I  take  pleasure  in  recommending  to  all  wishing  to 
obtain  wood  engravings,  as  an  accurate  and  most  obliging  artist. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  137 

Sherwood's  three-year-old  buck,  sheared  8^  lbs.  of  wool.     No.  9  do.  finest  Saxon  wool  in 
market. 

Fig.  5.— No.  10,  fine  Ohio  wool.     No.  12,  do.  Saxon  Fig-  5. 

of  the  lute  Mr.  Grove's  excellent  flock.     No.  13,  do.    j\     \  V    ^       '        '  ' 
original  imported  S|)!iiiisli  wool  by  Selli  Aduius.    No.    ^\     ^  \ 
14,  Mr.  L.  A.  Morreirs  tsaxon. 

The  following  cut,  copied  from  Youatt, 
exhibits  a  fibre    of  Merino  wool  viewed       10        JZ         IS         14- 
both  as  an  opaque  and  transparent  object,  with  a  microscope  manufac- 
tured by  Mr.  Powell,  of  London. 

The  .><crrations  or  "  beards,"  which  constitute 
the  felting  property  of  wool,  are  beautifully 
distinct  and  sharp.  It  was  a  picklock  from  a 
Negretti  fleece,  and  Mr.  Youatt  says  it  is  "very 
fine,  being  only  the  y^oth  part  of  an  inch  in 
diameter."  By  consulting  Doct.  Emmons's 
preceding  statements,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  wool  of  my  prize  ram  "Pre- 
mium" is  only  about  yg^jnjth  of  an  inch  in  diameter  !  This  forcibly  shows 
the  improvement  which  has  been  made  on  the  Merino  wool  of  Spain  in  the 
United  States. 

"  The  Merino,  though  the  native  of  a  warm  climate,  becomes  readily  in- 
.ured  to  the  greatest  extremes  of  cold,  flourishing  as  far  north  as  Sweden, 
without  degenerating  in  fleece  or  form.  It  is  a  patient,  docile  animal,  bear- 
ing much  confinement  without  injury  to  health,  and  possesses  none  of  that 
peculiar  '  voraciousness  of  appetite,'  ascribed  to  it  by  Entrlish  writers.* — 
Accurately  conducted  experiments  have  shown  that  it  consumes  "  a  little 
over  "  two  pounds  of  hay  per  diem,  in  winter ;  the  Leicester  consumes  from 
three  and  a  half  to  four  ;  and  the  common  wooled  American  sheep  would 
not  probably  fall  short  of  three.  The  mutton  of  the  Merino,  in  spite  of  the 
prejudice  which  exists  on  the  subject,  is  short  grained  and  of  good  flavor, 
when  killed  at  a  proper  age,"  and  weighs  from  ten  to  fourteen  pounds  to 
to  the  quarter.  "  It  is  remarkable  for  its  longevity,  retaining  its  teeth  and 
continuing  to  breed  two  or  three  years  longer  than  the  common  sheep," 
and  at  least  half  a  dozen  years  longer  than  the  improved  English  Breeds ; 
"  but  it  should  be  remarked  in  connection  with  this  fact,  that  it  is  coires* 
pondingly  slow  in  arriving  at  maturity.  It  does  not  attain  its  full  growth 
before  three  years  old,  and  the  ewes  in  the  best  managed  flocks,  are  rarely- 
permitted  to  breed  before  they  reach  that  age." 

The  Merino  is  a  far  better  breeder  than  any  other  fine-wooled  sheep, 
and  my  experience  goes  to  show  that  its  lambs,  when  newly  dropped,  are 
hardier  than  the  Bakewell,  and  equally  so  with  the  high  bred  South- 
Down.  The  ewe  is  not  so  good  a  nurse,  however,  as  the  latter,  and  will  not 
usually  do  full  justice  to  more  than  one  lamb.  Eighty  or  ninety  per 
cent,  is  about  the  ordinary  number  of  lambs  usually  reared,  though  it 
often  reaches  one  hundred  per  cent,  in  carefully  managed  or  small 
flocks. 

"  We  have  already  adverted  to  the  cross  between  the  Merino  and  the 
native  sheep.  On  the  introduction  of  the  Saxon  family  of  the  Merinos,  they 
were  universally  engrafted  on  the  parent  stock,  and  the  cross  was  contin- 
ued until  the  Spanish  blood  was  nearly  bred  out."  When  the  admixture 
took  place  with  judiciously  selected  Saxons,  it  resulted  not  unfjivor- 
ably  for  certain  purposes.  But  unfortunately  these  instances  of  judicious 
crossing  were  rare.  Our  country  was  flooded  by  eager  speculators,  with 
the  feeblest  and  least  hardy  Merinos  of  Germany.     Fineness  of  wool  during 

*  Youait,  p.  149. 


138 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


the  period  of  this  strange  excitement,  was  made  the  only  test  of  excellence, 
no  matter  how  scanty  its  quantity,  no  matter  how  diminutive  or  miserable 
the  carcass.  Governed  by  such  views,  the  holders  of  most  of  our  Merino 
flocks  purchased  these  over-delicate  Saxons,  and  the  consequence  was  as 
might  have  been  foreseen — their  flocks  were  ruined." 


51 


SAXON    RAM 


Saxons. — "  In  the  year  1765,  Augustus  Frederick,  Elector  of  Saxony,  ob- 
tained permission  from  the  Spanish  Court  to  import  two  hundred  Merinos, 
selected  from  the  choicest  flocks  of  Spain.  They  wei'e  chosen  principally 
from  the  Escurial  flock,  and  on  their  arrival  in  Saxony,  were  placed  on  a 
private  estate  belonging  to  the  Elector,  under  the  care  of  Spanish  shepherds. 
So  much  importance  was  attached  to  the  experiment,  as  it  was  then  con- 
sidered, that  a  commission  was  appointed  to  superintend  the  affairs  of  the 
establishment ;  and  it  was  made  its  duty  to  diffuse  information  in  relation 
to  the  management  of  the  new  breed  ;  to  dispose  of  the  sui-plus  rams  at 
prices  which  would  place  them  within  the  reach  of  all  holders  of  sheep  ; 
and  finally,  by  explaining  the  superior  value  of  the  Merinos,  to  induce 
the  Saxon  farmers  to  cross  them  with  their  native  breeds.  Popular  preju- 
dice, however,  was  strong  against  them,  and  this  was  hightened  by  the  rava- 
ges of  the  scab,  which  had  been  introduced  with  them  from  Spain,  and 
which  proved  very  destructive  before  it  was  finally  eradicated.  But  when 
it  became  apparent  that  the  Merino,  so  far  from  degenerating,  had  im- 
proved "  in  the  quality  of  its  wool,  in  Saxony,  "  the  wise  and  patriotic  efforts 
of  the  Elector  began  to  reap  their  merited  success,  and  a  revolution  took 
place  in  popular  sentiment.  The  call  for  rams  became  so  gi'eat  that  the 
Grovernment  resolved  on  a  new  importation,  to  enable  them  more  effec- 
tually to  meet  it,  and  to  improve  still  farther  the  stock  already  obtained. 
For  this  purpose  an  individual,  considered  one  of  the  best  judges  of  sheep 
in  Saxony,  was  dispatched  to  Spain  in  1777,  with  orders  to  select  three  hun- 
dred. For  some  reason,  probably  because  he  experienced  difficulty  in  obtain- 
ing a  greater  number  presenting  all  the  qualifications  he  sought,  he  return- 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  1^9 

ed  with  but  one  hundred  and  ten.  They  were  from  nearly  all  the  different 
flocks  of  Spain,  but  principally  tlu^  Escurial — and  were  considtMod  d«'cided- 
ly  superior  to  tlie  first  inipDrtatiuii.  In  addition  to  the  estal)lislinuMit  at 
Stolpen,  already  founded,  others  were  now  commenced  at  Reniiersdoi-f, 
Lohmen,  &c.  ;  schools  were  established  for  the  education  of  shepherds  ; 
publications  were  distributed  by  the  commissioners  to  throw  information 
on  the  subject  before  the  people;  and  the  Crown  tenants,  it  is  said,  were 
each  reipiired  to  puichase  a  certain  number  of  the  sheep." 

Mr.  Spooner*  states  tliat  there  are  two  distinct  breeds  of  the  Saxon  Me- 
rino sliei'p,  the  first  "  having  stouter  legs,  stouter  bodies,  head  and  neck  com- 
paralively  short  and  broad,  body  round.  The  wool  grows  most  on  the  face 
and  legs — the  grease  in  the  wool  is  almost  pitchy."  The  other  breed  call- 
ed Escurial  have  longer  legs,  with  a  long,  spare  neck  and  head,  withveiy 
little  wool  on  the  latter,  and  a  finer,  shorter  and  softer  character  in  its 
fleece,  but  less  in  quantity.  The  fleece  in  the  Escurial  averages  from  one 
and  a  half  to  two  pounds  in  ewes,  and  two  to  three  pounds  in  rams  and 
wethers,  while  in  the  others  it  is  from  two  and  a  quarter  to  three  and  a 
quarter  in  ewes,  and  from  four  to  six  pounds  in  ram  and  wethers.  These 
varieties  cannot  be  amalgamated  successfully. 

The  preceding  portrait  is  a  favorable  specimen  of  the  Escuiial  Saxon, 
copied  from  a  cut,  after  a  drawing  by  Harvey,  in  Mr.  Spooner's  work. 

That  the  German  shepherds  have  sacrificed  the  hardiness  of  the  Merino, 
and  indeed  almost  everylliing  else,  for  fineness  of  staple,  there  can  be  but 
little  doubt.  Their  method  of  managing  the  sheep  and  its  ettects  are  thus 
described  by  Mr.  CaiT,  a  large  sheep-owner  of  Germany  :t 

"  They  are  always  housed  at  night,  even  in  summer,  except  in  the  very  finest  weather, 
when  they  are  sometimes  folded  ia  the  distant  iallows,  but  never  taken  to  pasture  until  the 
dew  is  off  the  grass.  In  the  winter  tiiey  are  kept  within  doors  altogether,  and  are  fed  with  a 
small  quantity  of  sound  hay,  and  every  variety  of  straw,  which  has  not  suffered  from  wet, 
and  which  is  varied  at  each  feed  ;  they  pick  it  over  carefully,  eating  the  finer  parts,  and  any 
graiu  that  may  have  been  left  by  the  threshers.  Abundance  of  good  water  to  drink,  and  rock- 
salt  in  their  cribs,  are  indispensables They  cannot  thrive  in  a  damp  climate,  and  it 

is  quite  necessary  that  they  should  liave  a  wide  range  of  dry  and  hilly  pasture  of  short  and 
not  over-uutrilious  herbage.  If  allowed  to  feed  f)n  swampy  or  marshy  ground,  even  once  or 
twice,  in  autumn,  they  are  sure  to  die  of  liver  complaint  in  the  following  spring.  If  they 
are  permitted  to  eat  wet  grass,  or  exposed  fi-equently  to  rain,  they  disappear  by  hundreds 
with  consumption.  In  these  countries  it  is  found  the  higher  bred  the  sheep  id,  especially  the 
Escurial,  the  more  tender  !" 

Such  are  the  common  views  of  the  sheep,  and  their  treatment  over 
Germany,  Prussia,  and  Austria.  Various  statements  of  the  methods  adopt- 
ed by  Baron  Geisler,  Graf  Hunyadi,  and  other  eminent  flockmasters,  will 
be  found  in  Dr.  Bright's  Travels  in  Lower  Hungary,  Paget's  Travels  in 
Hungary  and  Transylvania,  Jacob's  Travels  in  Germany,  &c. 

The  qualities  of  the  Saxons  as  breeders  and  nurses,  may  be  inferred 
from  the  following  regulations,  for  the  management  of  his  flock,  by  Baron 
Geisler.| 

"  During  the  lambing  period,  a  shepherd  should  be  constantly  day  and  nisht  in  the  cote, 
in  order  that  he  may  place  the  lamb,  a  soon  as  it  is  cleaned,  tosjether  with  its  mothor,  in  a 
separate  pen,  which  bis  been  before  prepared.  The  ewes  which  have  lanil)e"d  should, 
during  a  week,  be  driven  neither  to  water  or  piisture  ;  but  low  troughs  of  water  for  this  pur- 
pose are  to  be  introduced  into  each  partition,  m  order  that  they  may  easily  and  at  all  times 
quench  their  thirst.  It  is  also  very  useful  to  put  a  small  quantity  of  barlev-meal  into  the  water, 
lor  by  this  means  the  quantity  of  the  ewe's  milk  is  much  increased.  When  the  lami)s  are  so 
strong  that  they  can  eat,  they  are  to  be  separated  by  degrees  from  their  mothers,  and  fed 
with  the  best  and  fuiest  oats,  being  sulfered  at  first  to  go  to  them  l)ut  three  times  a  day, 
early  in  the  morning,  at  raid-day,  and  in  tlie  evening,  and  so  to  continue  till  they  can  travel  to 
pasture,  and  fully  satisfy  themselves." 

*  Spooner,  p.  57.  t  Quoted  by  Spooner,  p.  58.  J  Ibid.,  p.  59.  :^ 


140  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

The  following  history  of  the  introduction  of  the  Saxons  into  the  United 
States,  was  compiled  by  me  from  written  memoranda,  and  the  oral  state- 
ments of  Mr.  Grove,  submitted  to  the  Committee  of  New- York  State  Ag- 
ricultural Society,  already  alluded  to,  of  which  I  was  Chairman,  and  was 
published  in  my  Report,  credited,  of  course,  to  Mr.  Grove  individually,  as 
no  other  member  of  the  Committee  was  conversant  with  the  facts  nar- 
rated.* 

"  The  first  importation  of  Saxony  sheep  into  the  United  States  was  made  by  Mr.  Samuel 
Henshaw,  a  merchant  of  Boston,  at  the  instance  of  Col.  James  Shepherd,  of  Northampton. 
They  were  but  six  or  seven  in  number.  In  1824,  Messrs.  G.  &  T.  Searle,  of  Boston,  import- 
ed 77  Saxon  sheep.  They  were  selected  and  purchased  by  a  Mr.  Kretchman,  a  correspond- 
ent of  the  aVjove  firm,  residing  in  Leipsic,  and  shipped  at  Bremen  on  board  the  American 
schooner  Velocity.  I  was  engaged  to  take  chaige  of  the  sheep  on  the  passage,  and  I  also 
shipped  six  on  my  own  account.  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  as  many  as  one-third  of  the  sheep 
purchased  by  Kretchman.  (who  shared  profit  and  loss  in  the  undertaking,)  were  not  pine- 
blooded  sheep.  The  cargo  were  sold  at  auction  at  Brooklyn,  as  'pure-blooded  electoral  Sax- 
ons,' and  thTis  unfortunately  in  the  veiy  outset  the  pure  and  impure  became  irrevocably  mix- 
ed. But  I  feel  the  gi-eatest  certainty  that  the  Messrs.  Seai-le  intended  to  import  none  but 
the  pure  stock — tlie  fault  lay  with  Kretchman.  In  the  fall  of  1824, 1  entered  into  an  arrange- 
ment with  the  Messrs.  Searle  to  return  to  Saxony,  and  purchase  in  connection  NA-ith  Kretch- 
man, from  160  to  200  Electoral  sheep.  I  was  detained  at  sea  seven  weeks,  which  gave  rise 
to  the  belief  that  I  was  shipwrecked  and  lost.  When  I  finally  arrived,  tlie  sheep  had  been  al- 
ready bought  by  Kretchman.  On  being  informed  of  what  the  purchase  consisted,  I  protested 
against  taking  them  to  America,  and  insisted  on  a  better  selection,  but  to  no  purpose.  A 
quarrel  ensued  between  us,  and  Kretchmau  even  went  so  far  as  to  engage  another  to  take 
charge  of  the  sheep  on  their  passage.  My  fi-iends  interposing,  I  was  finally  induced  to  take 
charge  of  them.  The  number  shipped  was  167.  15  of  which  perished  on  the  passage.  They 
were  sold  at  Brighton,  some  of  them  going  as  high  as  from  $400  to  $450.  A  portion  of  tliis 
importation  consisted  of  gi-ade  sheep,  which  sold  as  high  as  the  pure-bloods,  for  the  Ameri- 
can purchasers  could  not  know  the  difference.  It  may  be  readily  imagined  what  an  induce- 
ment the  Brighton  sale  held  out  to  speculation,  both  in  this  country  and  Saxony.  The  Ger- 
man newspapers  teemed  with  advertisements  of  sheep  for  sale,  headed  '  Good  for  the  Ameri- 
can Market ;'  and  these  sheep,  in  many  instances,  were  actually  bought  up  for  the  American 
market  at  five,  eight  or  ten  dollars  a  head,  when  the  pure-bloods  could  not  be  puichased  at 
I'rom  less  than  $30  to  $40.  In  1836,  Messrs.  Searle  imported  three  cargoes,  amounting  in  the  ag- 
gregate to  513  sheep.  They  were  of  about  the  same  character  with  their  prior  importations,  in 
the  main  good,  but  mixed  with  some  grade  sheep.  On  the  same  year  a  cargo  of  221  arrived,  on 
German  account,  Emil  Bach,  of  Leipsic,  supercargo.  A  few  were  good  sheep  and  of  pure  blood  ; 
but  tjiken  as  a  lot  they  were  miserable.  The  owners  sunk  about  $3,000.  Next  came  a  cargo 
of  210  on  German  accoimt ;  Wasmuss  and  Multer,  owners.  The  whole  cost  of  these  was 
about  $1,125,  in  Gennany.  With  the  exception  of  a  small  number,  procured  to  make  a 
flourish  on,  in  their  advertisements  of  sale  they  were  sheep  having  no  jiretensions  to  purity 
of  blood.  In  1827,  the  same  individuals  brought  out  another  cargo.  These  were  selected 
exclusively  from  grade  flocks  of  low  character.  On  the  same  year  the  Messrs.  Searle  made 
their  last  importation,  consisting  of  182  sheep.  Of  these  I  know  little.  My  fi-iends  in  Ger- 
many wrote  me  that  they  were  like  their  other  importations,  a  mixture  of  pure  and  impure 
blooded  sheep.  It  is  due,  however,  to  the  Messrs.  Seale  to  say  that,  as  a  whole,  theii-  im- 
portations were  much  better  than  any  other  made  into  Boston. 

"  I  will  now  turn  your  attention  to  the  imporUitions  made  into  other  ports.  In  1825,  13 
Saxons  arrived  in  Portsmouth.  They  were  miserable  creatures.  In  1826.  191  sheep  arrived 
in  New-York,  per  brig  William,  on  German  account.  A  portion  of  these  wei-e  well  descend- 
ed and  valuable  animals,  the  rest  were  grade  sheep.  In  .lune  the  same  year,  the  brig  Lou- 
isa brought  out  173  on  German  account.  Not  more  than  one-third  of  them  had  the  least  pre- 
tensions to  purity  of  blood.  Next  we  find  158,  shipi)ed  at  Bremen,  on  Gennan  account. — 
Some  were  diseased  before  they  left  Bremen,  and  I  am  happy  to  state  that  twenty-two  died 
before  their  arrival  in  New- York.  All  I  intend  to  say  of  them  is,  that  they  were  a  m(jst  cu- 
rious and  motley  mess  of  wretched  animals.  The  next  cargo  imported  arrived  in  the  bri^ 
Maria  Elizabeth,  under  my  own  care.  They  were  1G5  in  number,  belonging  to  myself  and 
F.  Gebhard,  of  New-York.  These  sheep  cost  me  $65  a  head  when  landed  m  New-York. — 
They  sold  at  an  average  of  $50  a  head,  thus  sinking  about  $2,400  !  I  need  not  say  that  they 
were  exclusively  of  pure  blood.  A  cargo  of  81  arrived  soon  after,  but  I  know  nothing  of 
their  quality.  The  next  importation  consisted  of  184,  on  German  account,  per  brig  Warren. 
With  a  few  exceptions  they  were  pure-blooded  and  good  sheep.  We  next  have  an  importa- 
tion of  200  by  the  Bremen  ship  Louisa.     They  were  commonly  called  the  '  stop  sale  sheep. 

*  Mr.  Morrel  in  his  American  Shepherd,  quotes  this  rb  a  "  Report"  drawn  and  read  by  Mr.  Grove,  (one  is 
left  to  infer,)  before  the  New- York  State  Agricultural  Society.     This  is  doubtless  an  iiiadvertance. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  141 

Thev  were  of  the  nwst  niisenible  charncter,  some  of  them  beiiia;  hardly  half-i^nule  sheen. — 
Tlie  ship  rhehf  Ami  hroufjht  IJO  .shi'e|>,  of  whicli  I  know  httle  ;  uiul  tiO  witi>  liiiicltil  at 
I'hilii(lel))hia,  with  the  i-lianicter  of  wliich  I  am  uiiai'(|uaiiited.  Haviii-;  lieteriiiini-d  to  nettle 
ill  America,  I  returned  to  Saxony,  and  s(>«'nt  the  winter  of  18Q6-7  in  visiting  and  examining 
many  fl<K'ks.  I  selected  11")  from  tht;  ci;lel)nite<l  tlock  of  Macheni,  emharked  on  board  the 
ship  Albion,  and  lauded  ill  New-York  June  'J7,  18127.  In  18"28,  I  received  80  more  Irom  tho 
siuiie  Mock,  selected  by  a  frienil  of  mine,  an  excellent  judge  of  sheep.  I  first  drove  them  t<j 
Shaft.fbury,  adjoining  the  town  of  Hosic,  where  I  now  reside.  On  their  arrival  thuy  stood 
luu  iu  $70  a.  head,  and  the  lambs  half  that  sum." 

"  It  will  be  iiifetTed  from  the  facts  above  stated  that  there  are  few  Sax- 
on flocks  in  the  Ignited  States  that  have  not  been  reduced  to  the  quality 
of  (Trade  sheep,  by  the  promiscuous  admixture  of  the  pure  and  the  impure 
which  were  imported  together,  and  all  sold  to  our  breeders  as  pure  stock." 

And  independent  of  this,  there  are  but  exceedingly  few  flocks  which 
have  not  been  a^ahi  crossed  with  the  Native  or  Merino  sheep  of  our  coun- 
try, or  both.  Those  who  early  purchased  the  INIerino,  crossed  them  with 
the  Native  ;  and,  when  the  Saxons  airived,  these  mongrels  were  bred  to 
Saxon  rams.  This  is  the  history  of  probably  three-quarters  of  the  "  Sax- 
on" flocks  of  the  United  States,  and  among  them  some,  as  I  knoic,  among 
the  most  celebrated. 

As  these  sheep  have  now  so  long  been  bred  toward  the  Saxon  that  their 
wool  equals  that  of  the  pure-bloods,  it  is  exceedingly  problematical  in  my 
mind  whether  they  are  any  worse  for  the  admixture  :  when  crossed  only 
with  the  Merino,  it  is  undoubtedly  to  their  advantage.  Though  I  once 
thought  differently,  experience  has  satisfied  me  that  the  American  Saxon, 
with  these  early  crosses  in  its  pedigree,  is  a  hardier  and  more  easily  kept 
animal  than  the  pure  Escurial  or  Electoral  Saxon.  As  with  the  Merino, 
climate,  feed,  and  other  causes,  have  doubtless  conspired  to  add  to  their 
size  and  vigor ;  but,  after  all,  I  have  not  a  doubt  they  usually  owe  more 
of  it  to  those  early  crosses. 

The  fleeces  of  the  American  Saxons  weigh,  on  the  average,  fi-om  2  or 
2J-  to  3  lbs.  They  are,  comparatively  speaking,  a  tender  sheep,  requiring 
regular  supplies  of  good  food,  good  shelter  in  winter,  and  protection  in 
cool  weather  from  storms  of  all  kinds  ;  but  they  are  evidently  hardier  than 
the  parent  German  stock.  In  docility  and  patience  under  confinement, 
late  maturity,  and  longevity,  they  resemble  the  Merinos,  from  which  they 
are  descended  ;  thouerh  they  do*  not  mature  so  early  as  the  Merino,  nor 
ordinarily  live  so  long.  They  are  poorer  nurses  ;  their  lambs  smaller,  fee- 
bler, and  far  more  likely  to  perish,  unless  sheltered  and  carefully  watched. 
They  do  not  fatten  so  well,  and,  being  considerably  lighter,  they  consume 
an  aiTiount  of  food  correspondingly  less. 

Taken  tofjether,  the  American  Saxons  bear  a  much  finer  wool  than  the 
American  Merinos  ;  but  Dr.  Emmons's  measurements  show  that  this  is 
not  always  the  case,  and  many  breeders  of  Saxons  are  now  crossing  with 
the  Merino,  in  the  expectation  of  increasing  the  weight  of  their  fleeces 
without  deteriorating  its  quality.*  Though  I  am  in  possession  of  wool 
from  Saxons  in  Connecticut  and  Ohio,  which  compares  well  A\-ith  the 
higher  gi-ades  of  German  wool.t  and  though  there  are  doubtless  other 
flocks  of  equal  quality  in  the  country,|  our  Saxon  wool,  as  a  whole,  falls 
considerably  below  that  of  Germany  ;  and  I  never  have  seen  a  single  lock 
of  the  American  equaling  some  samples,  given  me  by  a  friend  recently 


*  Mr.  Lawrence  believes  thia  practicable,  and  Mr.  Morrel  and  various  other  Saxon  breeders  have  for 
■ome  time  bred  in  this  way. 

f  Fully  equalin::,  and.  I  think,  better  than  some  German  wool  I  recently  saw,  which,  all  expenses  in- 
cluded, stood  the  purchaser  in  SI  60  per  uouDd  ! 

t  Dr.  Kmmons  stated,  subsequently  Id  his  measurements  above,  that  he  bad  received  wool  from  tho 
flock  of  Dr.  Beelunan,  considerably  finer  than  the  Saxon  wool  figured. 


142 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


from  Europe,  which  came  from  Styrla,  south  of  Vienna,  in  Austria.  The 
inferiority  of  the  American  to  the  German  wool  is  not  due  to  climate  or 
other  natural  causes,  nor  is  it  owing  to  a  want  of  skill  on  the  part  of  our 
breeders.  It  is  owing  to  the  fact  that  but  a  very  few  of  our  manufactur- 
ers have  ever  felt  willing  to  make  that  discrimination  in  prices  which  would 
render  it  profitable  to  breed  those  small  and  delicate  animals  which  pro- 
duce this  exquisite  quality  of  wool.  No  American  breeder  thinks  of  hous- 
ing his  sheep  from  the  summer  rains  and  dcio,  or  observing  any  of  the  hot- 
liouse  reo^ulations — at  least  in  the  summer — of  Graf  Hunyadi,  or  Baron 
Geisler  !  If  he  did,  his  wool  would  not  probably  pay  half  of  its  first  cost. 
When  our  manufacturers  wish  to  find  these  wools  in  the  hom,e  market, 
they  must  learn  to  pay  for  them  in  the  liome  market  as  liberally  as  they 
*are  compelled  to  to  obtain  them  in  foreign  ones! 


THE  NEW  LEICESTER,  OR  BAKEWELL. 

The  portrait  above  is  copied  from  one  of  a  sheep  of  this  variety,  belong- 
ino-  to  the  Duke  of  Bedford,  given  in  Mr.  Youatt's  work  on.  Sheep. 

"  The  unimproved  Leicester  was  a  '  large,  heavy,  coarse-w5t)led  breed ' 
of  sheep,  inhabiting  the  midland  counties  of  England.  It  is  described  also 
as  having  been  '  a  slow  feeder,  and  its  flesh  coarse-grained,  and  witliJittle 
flavor.'  The  breeders  of  that  period  regarded  only  size  and  weight  of 
fleece.  The  cfelebrated  Mr>Ba.kewell,  of  Dishley,  was  the  first  who  adopt- 
ed a  system  more  in, accordance  with  the  true  principles  of  breeding.  He 
selected  from  the  flt)cks  about  him  those  sheep  '  whose  shape  possessed 
the  peculiarities  which  he  considered  would  produce  the  largest  propor- 
tion of  valuable  meat,  and  offal,'  and  having  observed  that  animals  of  me- 
dium size  possess  a  greater  aptitude  to  take  on  flf  aj*i  a^ld>^'fconsume  less 
food  than  those  which  are  larger,  and  that  prime  &,ttening  qualities  are 
rarely  found  in  sheep  carrying  a  great  weight  of  \j'ool,  he  gave  the  prefer- 
ence to  those  of  smaller  size,  and  was  satisfied  with  lightert^eeces."  To 
reach  the  wonderful  results  obtained  by  Mr.  Bakewell,  it  was  supposed 
that  he  resorted  to  a  cross  with  some  other  varieties,  but  it  is  believed  by 
some  that  he  owed  his  success  only  to  a  judicious  principle  of  selection, 
and  a  steady  adherence  to  certain  principles  of  breeding. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  143 

It  is  excecdin'jly  unfortunate  tliat  this  eminent  breeder  has  left  ua  so 
much  in  the  dark  in  relation  to  those  principles  of  breeding,  adopted  by 
hira,  whicli  led  to  such  signal  success  in  his  efforts  to  improve  both  the 
cattle  and  sheep  of  the  region  in  England  in  which  he  resided.  All  of  his 
measures  were  veiled  in  impenetrul)le  secrecy  even  from  his  most  intimate 
friends,  and  he  died  without  voluntarily  throwing  the  least  light  on  the 
subject.  The  whole  inception  and  management  of  his  famous  "  Dishley 
Society"*  betrays  selKshness  the  most  intense,  and,  in  plain  English,  mean- 
ness the  most  unalloyed.  Should  a  man  claiming  to  be  a  gentleman,  in 
this  country,  make  valuable  discoveries  in  breeding,  or  in  any  other  de- 
partment of  husbandry,  and  closely  conceal  them  from  the  public,  his  con- 
duct would  meet  with  universal  reprehension  and  contempt  ;t  yet  the  thing 
seems  to  be  considered  a  matter  of  course,  or  is  at  least  passed  over  with- 
out censure,  in  Youatt,  Spooner,  Bischoft',  and  a  host  of  earlier  writers, 
all  of  whom  laud  Mr.  Bakewell  to  the  echo  !  * 

"  The  improved  Leicester  is  of  large  size,  but  somewhat  smaller  than 
the  original  stock,  and  in  this  respect  falls  considerably  below  the  coarser 
varieties  of  Cotswold,  Lincoln,  &cc.  Where  there  is  a  sufficiency  of  feed, 
the  New  Leicester  is  unrivaled  for  its  fattening  properties,  but  it  will  not 
be^r  hard  stocking,  nor  must  it  be  compelled  to  travel  far  in  search  of  its 
food.  It  is,  in  fact,  properly  and  exclusively  a  lowland  sheep.  In  its  ap- 
propriate situation,  on  the  luxuriant  herbage  of  the  highly  cultivated  lands 
of  England,  it  possesses  unrivaled  earliness  of  maturity  ;  and  its  mutton, 
when  not  too  fat,  is  of  a  good  quality,  but  is  usually  coarse,  and  compara- 
tively deficient  in  flavor,  owing  to  that  unnatural  state  of  fatness  which  it 
so  readily  assumes,  and  which  the  breeder,  to  gain  weight,  so  generally 
feeds  for.  The  wethers,  having  reached  their  second  year,  are  turned  off 
in  the  succeeding  February  or  March,  and  weigh  at  that  age  from  thirty 
to  thirty-five  pounds  to  the  quarter.  The  wool  of  the  New  Leicester  is 
long — averaging,  after  the  first  shearing,  about  six  inches  ;  and  the  fleece 
of  the  American  animal  weighs  about  six  pounds.  It  is  of  coarse  quality, 
and  little  used  in  the  manufacture  of  cloths,  on  account  of  its  length,  and 
that  deficiency  of  felting  properties  common,  in  a  greater  or  less  extent,  to 
all  the  English  breeds.  As  a  combing  wool,  however,  it  stands  first,  and 
is  used  in  the  manufacture  of  the  finest  worsteds,  &c. 

"  The  high  bred  Leicesters  of  Mr.  Bakewell's  stock  became  shy  breed- 
ers and  poor  nurses,  but  crosses  subsequently  adopted  "  have,  to  some  ex- 
tent, obviated  these  defects.  So  far  as  my  experience  has  extended  in  this 
country,  however,  the  lambs  are  not  very  hardy,  and  require  considerable 
attention  at  the  time  of  yeaning,  particularly  if  the  weather  is  even  moder- 
ately cold  or  stormy.  Neither  can  the  grown  sheep  be  considered,  in  my 
opinion,  rcrif  hardy.  They  are  much  affected  by  sudden  changes  in  the 
weather,  and  a  sudden  change  to  cold  is  pretty  sure  to  be  registered  on 
their  noses  by  unmistakable  indications  of  catanh  or  '  snuffles.' 

"In  England,  where  mutton  is  generally  eaten  by  the  laboring  classes, 
the  meat  of  this  variety  is  in  verj'  great  demand  ;  and  the  consequent  re- 
turn which  a  sheep  possessing  such  fine  feeding  qualities  is  enabled  to 
make,  renders  it  a  general  favorite  with  the  breeder.  Instances  are  re- 
corded of  the  most   extraordinaiy  prices  having  been  paid  for  these  ani- 

*  For  the  Regularions  of  this  Pociety,  »ee  Vouatc,  p.  317. 

t  Of  course  I  do  not  include  in  this  cHiceory  thoee  nRinplesa  Tenders  of  recipee  for  killing  Canada  Thi»- 
tics,  rale,  &c.  kc. ;  and  mi'n  who  vpcnd  their  time  and  property  in  inventing  unproTed  imple/iienis.  etc., 
•je  entitled  lo  the  pay  offered  by  the  Patent  laws.  But,  among  our  asriculiuricts  f>f  ftandins  who  has  ever 
known  of  a  einsle  instance  of  a  valuable  discovery  in  the  nperaliona  of  hurbaodry  beinir  concealed  or  with- 
held from  the  public  ?  Who  has  known  a  breeder  of  rank  wheedle  a  panner  out  of  oiie-half  of  a  valuable 
bull,  and  then  refuse  the  quondam  partner  the  services  of  that  bull  at  any  price.  le*t  he  should  pn>ve  a 
dansernaa  rival  in  breeding?  Y<;t  what  English  wriif-r  has  expressed  any  coultmpt  for  such  mcauncMt 
Tbece  thing!  would  not  "  go  down"  among  lu  *  rfpudiatari" ! 


144  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

mals,  and  Mr.  Bakewell's  celebrated  buck  "  Two  Pounder"  was  let  for 
the  enormous  price  of  four  hundred  guineas  for  a  single  season !  The 
New  Leicester  has  spread  into  all  parts  of  the  British  Dominions,  and 
been  imported  into  the  other  countries  of  Europe  and  the  United  States. 
They  were  first  introduced  into  our  own  country  by  the  late  Christopher 
Dunn,  Esq.,  of  Albany,  about  twenty-five  years  since.*  Subsequent  import- 
ations have  been  made  by  Mr.  Powel,  of  Philadelphia,  and  various  other 
gentlemen." 

It  is  no  more  than  justice  to  say  that  this  breed  has  never  proved  a  fa- 
vorite with  any  large  class  of  American  farmers.  Our  long,  cold  winters, 
but  more  especially  our  dry,  scorching  summers,  when  it  is  often  difiicult 
to  obtain  the  rich,  green,  tender  feed  in  which  the  Leicester  delights — the 
general  want  of  green  feed  in  the  winter,  robs  it  of  its  early  maturity,  and 
even  of  the  ultimate  size  which  it  attains  in  England.  Its  mutton  is  too 
fat,  and  the  fat  and  lean  are  too  little  intermixed,  to  suit  American  taste. 
Its  wool  is  not  very  salable,  from  the  much  to  be  regretted  dearth  of 
worsted  manufactories  in  our  country.  Its  early  decay  and  loss  of  wool 
constitute  an  objection  to  it,  in  a  country  where  it  is  often  so  difficult  to 
advantageously  turn  off  sheep,  particularly  ewes.  But,  notwithstanding 
all  these  disadvantages,  on  rich  lowland  farms,  in  the  vicinities  of  consid- 
erable markets,  it  will  always  probably  make  a  profitable  return. 

The  following  description  of  what  constitutes  the  desirable  characteiist- 
ics  of  this  breed,  is  from  the  pen  of  INIr.  Youatt  :t 

"  The  head  should  be  hornless,  long,  small,  tapering  toward  the  nmzzle,  and  projecting 
horizontally  forward.  The  eyes  prominent,  but  with  a  quiet  expression.  The  ears  tliin, 
rather  long,  and  directed  backward.  The  neck  full  and  broad  at  its  base,  where  it  proceeds 
fi'om  the  chest,  so  that  there  is,  with  the  slightest  possible  deviation,  one  continued  hoiizon- 
tal  line  from  tlie  nimp  to  the  poll.  The  breast  broad  and  full ;  the  shoulders  also  broad  and 
round,  and  no  uneven  or  angular  formation  where  tlie  shouldeis  join  either  the  neck  or  the 
back — pai-ticulaily  no  rising  of  the  withers,  or  hollow  behind  the  situation  of  these  bones. — 
The  arm  fleshy  through  its  whole  extent,  and  even  down  to  the  knee.  The  bones  of  the 
leg  small,  standing  wide  apart ;  no  looseness  of  skin  about  them,  and  comparatively  bare  of 
wool.  The  chest  and  barrel  at  once  deep  and  romid  ;  the  ribs  forming  a  considerable  arch 
from  the  spine,  so  as  iu  some  cases,  and  especially  when  the  animal  is  in  good  condition,  to 
make  the  apparent  width  of  the  chest  even  greater  than  the  depth.  The  barrel  ribbed  well 
home  ;  no  inegularity  of  line  on  the  back  oi-*)elly,  but  on  the  sides ;  the  carcass  very  grad- 
ually diminishing  in  width  toward  the  rump.  The  qnai-ters  long  and  full,  and.  as  with  the 
fore  legs,  the  muscles  extending  down  to  the  hock  ;  the  thighs  also  wide  and  full.  The  legs 
of  a  moderate  length  ;  tlie  pelt  also  moderately  thin,  but  soft  and  elastic,  and  covered  with 
a  good  quantity  of  wlaite  wool — not  so  long  as  in  some  breeds,  but  considerably  finer." 

The  South-Down. — "  This  breed  of  sheep  has  existed  for  several  centu- 
ries in  England,  on  a  range  of  chalky  hills  called  the  South  Downs.  They 
were,  as  recently  as  1776,  small  in  size,  and  of  a  form  not  superior  to  the 
common  wooled  sheep  of  the  United  States.  Since  that  period,  a  course  of 
judicious  breeding,  pursued  by  one  man  (Mr.  Ellman,  of  Glynde,  in  Sussex), 
has  mainly  contributed  to  raise  this  variety  to  its  present  high  degree  of  per- 
fection, and  that,  too,  without  the  admixture  of  the  slightest  degree  of  foreign 
blood.  In  our  remarks  on  this  breed  of  sheep,  it  will  be  understood  that 
we  speak  of  the  pure  improved  family,  as  the  original  stock,  presenting, 
with  tiifling  modifications,  the  same  characteristics  which  they  exhibited 
sixty  years  since,  are  yet  to  be  found  in  England — and  as  the  middle 
space  is  occupied  by  a  variety  of  grades,  rising  or  falling  in  value,  as  they 
approximate  to  or  recede  from  the  improved  blood. 

"  The  South- Down  is  an  upland  sheep,  of  medium  size,  and  its  wool, 
which  in  point  of  length  belongs  to  the  middle  class,"  has  been  estimated 
to  rank  vnth  half-blood  Merino,  and  was  so  estimated  in  my  Report,  quo- 

*  Now  about  35  years  eince.  t  Youatt  on  Sheep,  p.  110. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


145 


tations  from  which  constitute  so  larn;e  a  portion  of  this  Letter.  But  hath 
6ubse(|uent  experience,  and  infonnation  tlerivei]  from  otlier  sources,  have 
convinced  me  of  the  eiToneousness  of  this  opiuion.     South-Down  wool  is 


SOCTH-DOWX  RAM. 


-VV-- 


essentially  different  from  Merino  wool  of  any  grade,  though  the  fibre  in 
some  of  the  finest  fleeces  may  be  of  the  same  apparent  fineness  with  half 
or  one-quarter  blood  Merino. 

The  following  cut  from  Youatt,*  gives  the  microscopic  appearance, 
says  that  gentleman,  of  a  "  prime  specimen  of  picklock  South-Down 
wool,"  1  being  viewed  as  a  transparent, 
and  2  as  an  opaque  object."  The  fibre 
is  p-^oth  part  of  an  inch  in  diameter. 

Tlie  cups  or  leaves  of  2  "  are  roughened 
irreirular,  and  some  of  the  leaves  have  ex- 
ceedingly short  angles,"  but  they  are  far 
sharjier,  more  numerous  and  regiilar  (the 
points  which  give  wool  its  felting  property)  than  in  ordinary  South-Down 
wool.  In  the  latter,  the  cups  are  rounded  and  have  a  "rhomboidal"  in- 
stead of  that  sharp  and  "hooked"  character  which  distinguishes  the  Me- 
rino and  Saxon. 

South-Down  wool  is  deficient  in  felting  properties.  It  makes  a  "  furzy, 
hairy  "  cloth,  and  is  no  longer  used  in  England,  unless  largely  admixed 
with  foreiq^  wool,  even  for  the  lowest  class  of  cloths. 

The  followincr  testimony  was  given  by  some  of  the  most  eminent  manu- 
facturers, wool-factors,  staplers,  and  merchants  of  England,  before  the 
Committee  of  the  House  of  Lords  in  1$2S,  several  times  previously  al- 
luded to  :  t 


*  Youatt,  p.  33€. 


t  See  Biachoff,  toI.  iL  pp.  145  to  155. 

T 


146  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

Mr.  Charles  Bull,  wool  agent,  Lewes. — "  Formerly  it  [South-Down  wool]  was  used  for 
clothing  purposes  ;  now  it  is  impossible  to  sell  it  for  that  manufacture  ;  .  .  .  .  it  is  used  for 
baizes  and  flannels  in  a  very  large  way." 

Mr.  AViLLiAM  Cu.N'NiNGTON,  wool-staplcr,  Wiltshire. — "The  public  will  not  wear  the 
South*Dowu  cloths,  tliey  are  so  very  coarse." 

Mr.  James  Fison,  wool  dealer,  Thetford. — "There  has  been  deterioration  in  the  quality 
of  (South-Down)  wool ;  the  general  weight  of  the  fleece  20  years  ago  was  2  pounds  to  2.^, 
and  it  is  now  3  pounds  to  3.J,  our  wool  used  to  be  made  into  cloths,  and  retin-ned  into  Nor- 
folk, and  used  by  myself  and  the  agiiculturists.  We  do  not  get  the  same  cloth  now ;  neither 
myself  uor  the  farmer  would  wear  it,  because  of  the  deterioration  of  quality." 

Mr.  .Iames  Hubbard,  wool  agent,  Leeds. — South-Down  wool  is  not  "now  employed  for 
the  puq)ose  of  making  cloth ;  it  has  been  forced  down  two  or  three  steps  in  the  scale  of  wool, 

and  is  now  used  for  flannels  and  baize The  wool  gets  more  frothy  and  open,  and  in 

manufacturing  it  does  not  felt  and  improve  so  well ;  it  works  more  flannely."  .... 

Mr.  John  Brooke,  manufacturer,  Howley. — "  Manufacture  principally  blue  cloths  from  7s. 

to  24s.  and  25s.  per  yard,  and  also  narrow  cloths Had  the  Duke  of  Norfolk's  wool,  Mr. 

Elhnan,  junior's,  clip  from  1817  and  1822,  and  Mr.  Ellman,  senior's,  from  1817  to  1821 

Kept  to  English  wool  longer  than  any  house  in  the  neighborhood Ceased  to  manufac- 
ture it  entirely  in  1823  or  1824,  ....  found  om-  neighbors  were  sending  out  better  cloths 
than  we  were,  not  only  at  the  same  price,  but  better  manufactured  cloths,  and  we  lost  our  cus- 
tomers." 

Mr.  Benjamin  Gott,  merchant  and  manufacturer,  Leeds. — "  I  formerly  used  150  packs 
of  English  wool  weekly ;  the  disuse  of  English  wool  was  gradual,  commencing  about  the 
year  1819,  continuing  to  1823  and  1824,  about  wliich  time  I  began  to  manufacture  exclu- 
sively from  foreign  wool.  The  disuse  of  English  wool  arose  from  the  quality  and  the  ad- 
vantage of  using  foreign  wool  compared  with  our  own.  I  could  not  now  make  an  article 
which  would  be  merchantable  at  all  for  the  foreign  market,  (that  remaik  applies  equally  to 
the  home  trade,)  in  certain  descriptions  of  cloth,  except  of  foreign  wool."  .  .  .  These  wools 
(the  domestic  and  foreign,)  "  have  different  properties." 

Mr.  William  Ireland.  Blackwell  Hall  factor,  London. — "We  have  been  using  English 
wool  for  second  and  livery  cloths,  but  recently  they  have  been  so  very  much  lowered  in 
quality  we  have  not  been  able  to  make  use  of  them  at  all,  and  have  been  obliged  to  make 
use  of  low  German  and  low  Spanish  wools  for  that  purpose." 

Mr.  J.  SuTCLiFFE,  wool-stapler,  Huddersfield. — "  South-Down  wool  was  formerly  ap- 
plied for  making  cloth  for  home  consumption  regularly,  for  the  clothing  of  servants,  Szc.  It 
was  also  used  for  army  clothing.  It  is  now  no  longer  used  ff)r  those  pui-posee.  It  makes  a 
furzy,  soft,  hairy  piece  ;  it  has  not  that  fastness  in  it  that  foreign  wool  has." 

Many  other  individuals  testify  to  the  same  effect,  and  the  extremely  low 
character  of  South-Down  wool  for  carding  purposes  maf  be  regarded  as 
definitely  settled.  But  as  it  has  deteriorated  it  has  increased  in  length  of 
staple  in  England,  and  to  such  an  extent  that  improved  machinery  enables 
it  to  be  used  as  a  combing  wool — for  the  inanufacture  of  worsteds.  Where 
this  has  taken  place  it  is  quite  as  profitable,  in  England,  as  when  it  was 
finer  and  shorter.  In  the  United  States,  where  the  demand  for  combing- 
wool  is  so  small  that  it  is  easily  met  by  a  better  article,  perhaps  thi 
would  not  be  the  case.  And^t  may  be  problematical  whether  the  proper 
combing  length  will  be  easily  reached,  or  at  least  maintained  in  this  coun- 
try, in  the  absence  of  that  high  feeding  system  which  has  undoubtedly 
given  the  wool  its  increased  length  in  England.* 

The  average  weight  of  fleece  in  the  hill-fed  sheep  is  3  lbs. ;  on  rich 
lowlands  a  little  more.  Mr.  John  Ellman,  Jr.,  testified  before  the  Com- 
mittee of  the  House  of  Lords  that  he  was  then  "  keeping  his  sheep  better 
than  formerly — fattening  them,  which  rendered  the  fleece  heavier — that 
they  then  averaged  about  3  lbs.  of  wool."t  "  But  the  Down  is  cultivated 
more  particularly  for  its  mutton,  which  for  quality  takes  precedence  of  all 
other"  (from  sheep  of  good  size)  "in  the  English  markets.  Its  early  maturity 
and  extreme  aptitude  to  lay  on  flesh,  render  it  peculiarly  valuable  for  this 
purpose.  The  Down  is  turned  off' at  two  years  old,  and  its  weight  at  that 
age  is,  in  England,  from  80  to  100  lbs.     High  fed  wethers  have  reached 

*  Nearly  or  quite  every  individual  who  testifies  to  the  deterioration  and  increased  length  of  the  South- 
Down  wool  before  the  Lord's  Comiuitlce,  assign  this  as  the  cause  of  the  change, 
t  Bisehoir,  vol.  ii.,  p.  137. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


147 


from  32  to  even  40  lbs.  a  quarter !  Notwithstantlinj  its  weitrht,  the 
Down  has,  in  the  language  of  Mr.  Youatt,  a  patience  of  occasional  short 
keep,  and  an  endurance  of  hard  stocking,  equal  to  any  other  sheep.  This 
gives  it  a  decided  advantage  over  the  bulkier  Leicester,  Lincolns,  &c.,  as 
a  mutton  sheep,  in  hilly  districts  and  those  proilucing  short  and  scanty 
herbage.  It  is  hardy  and  healthy,  though  in  common  with  the  other  Eng- 
lish varieties  much  subject  to  the  catarrh  or  "  snuffles,"  and  no  sheep  bet- 
ter withstands  our  American  winters.  The  ewes  are  prolific  breeders  and 
good  nursei-s.  The  Down  is  quiet  and  docile  in  its  habits,  and  though  an 
industrious  feeder,  exhibiting  little  disposition  to  rove."  Like  the  Leices- 
ter, it  is  comjiaratively  a  short-lived  animal,  and  the  fleece  continues  to 
decrease  in  weight  after  it  reaches  maturity.  It  crosses  better  with  short 
and  middle  wooled  breeds  than  the  Leicester.  "  A  sheep  possessing  such 
qualities  must  of  course  he  valuable  in  upland  districts  in  the  vicinity  of 
markets.  They  have  been  introduced  into  every  part  of  the  British  Do- 
minions, and  imported  into  various  other  countries.  The  Emperor  of 
Russia  paid  Mr.  Ellman  three  hundred  guineas  for  two  rams,  and  in  1800 
'  a  i-am  belonging  to  the  Duke  of  Bedford,  was  let  for  one  season  at  eighty 
guineas,  two  others  at  forty  guineas  each,  and  four  more  at  twenty-eight 
guineas  each.'  These  valuable  sheep  were  introduced  into  the  L^nited 
States  a  few  years  since  by  Col.  J.  H.  Powell,  of  Philadelphia,  and  a  small 
number  was  imported  by  one  of  the  members  of  this  Committee  in  1834. 
The  last  were  from  the  flock  of  Mr.  Ellman,  at  a  cost  of  S60  ahead.  Sev- 
eral other  importations  have  since  taken  place." 

The  ram  and  ewe,  the  portraits  of  which  are  given,  are  the  descendants 
of  the  importation  of  Francis  Rotch,  Esq.,  alluded  to  in  the  preceding 
paraGrraph-  They  are  most  spirited  likenesses,  and  were  kindly  furnished 
me  by  that  gentleman,  to  accompany  this  Letter.     They  are  exceedingly 


SUL'TH-DOW.S   tWE. 


characteristic  of  the  Ellman  stock.     Not  so  large  as  the  later  importations 
of  Mr.  Rotch  from  the  celebrated  flock  of  Mr.  Webb,  they  are,  in  the 


148 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


opinion  of  that  gentleman,  as  well  as  in  my  own,  a  more  beautifully 
formed  and  not  less  profitable  animal.  For  compactness — great  weigbt  in 
a  small  compass — they  are  perhaps  unrivaled. 

The  following  is  the  description  of  the  perfect  South-Down  by  Mr.  Ell- 
man,  the  founder  of  the  improved  breed  : 

"  The  head  smaD  and  hornless  ;  the  face  speckled  or  pray  and  neither  too  long  nor  too 
short ;  the  liiis  thin,  and  the  space  between  the  nose  and  the  eyes  naiTow ;  the  under  jawr 
or  chap  fine  ana  thin ;  the  ears  tolerably  wide  and  well  covered  with  wool,  and  the  fore- 
head also    and  the  whole  space  betAveen  the  ears  well  protected  by  it,  as  a  defence  against 

the  flv.  .  ,         ,  .       r  ,  , 

"  The  eve  fnU  and  bright  but  not  promnient.  The  orbits  of  the  eye,  the  eye-cap  or  bone 
not  too  projecting,  that  it  may  not  form  a  fatal  obstacle  in  lambing. 

"  The  neck  of  a  medium  length,  thin  toward  the  head,  but  enlarging  toward  the  shoul- 
ders where  it  should  be  broad  and  high  and  straight  in  its  whole  course  above  and  below. 
The'breast  should  be  wide,  deep,  and  projecting  forwai-d  between  the  fore-legs,  indicating  a 
cood  constiUition  and  a  disposition  to  thrive.  Corresponding  with  this,  the  shoulders  should 
be  on  a  level  with  the  back,  and  not  too  wide  above :  they  should  bow  outward  from  the 
top  to  the  breast,  indicatijig  a  spi-inging  rib  beneath,  and  leaving  room  for  it. 

"  The  ribs  coming  out  horizontally  from  the  spine,  and  extending  far  backward,  and  the 
last  rib  projecting  more  than  others,  tlie  back  flat  from  the  shoulders  to  the  setting  on  of 
the  tfiil ;  the  loin  broad  and  flat ;  tlie  nimp  broad  and  the  tail  set  on  high,  and  nearly  on 
a  level  with  the  spine.  The  hips  wide  ;  the  space  between  tliem  and  the  last  rib  on  ei- 
ther side  as  naiTow  as  possible,  and  the  ribs  generally  presenting  a  ciicular  form  like  a 
ban-el . 

"  The  belly  as  straight  as  the  back. 

"  The  ]e'^s  neither  too  long  nor  too  short;  the  fore-legs  sti-aight  from  the  breast  to  the  foot; 
not  Ijendlu''  inward  at  the  knee,  and  standing  far  apart  both  before  and  behind ;  the  hock 
having  a  direction  rather  outward,  and  the  twist,  or  the  meeting  of  the  thighs  behind,  being 
particularly  Ml,  the  bones  fine,  yet  having  no  appearance  of  weakness,  and  of  a  speckled  or 
dark  color. 

The  belly  well  defended  with  wool,  and  the  wool  coming  down  before  and  behind  to  the 
knee  and  to  the  hock  ;  the  wool  short,  close,  curled  and  fine,  and  fi-ee  from  spuy  projecting 
fibres." 


I 


is^S^is^jj^ 


THE  COTSWOLD  SHEEP. 

The  above  cut  is  copied  from  one  in  Mr.  Spooner's  work  on  Sheep — 
the  original  drawing  lieing  by  Harvey. 

The  Cotswolds,,  until  improved  by  modern  crosses,  were  a  very  large, 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  149 


coarse,  long-legcred,  flat-ribbed  variety,  lifjht  in  tlie  fore-quarter — shearing 
a  lonc^,  heavy,  coai"se  fleece  of  wool.  They  were  lianly,  jiroliHc  breeders 
and  capital  nurses.  They  were  deficient  in  early  maturity,  and  did  not 
possess  feediniT  properties  efiualinfj  those  of  the  Down  or  New  Leicester. 
To  a  cross  with  the  latter  variety  we  owe  the  modern  or  improved  Cots- 
wold.  Having  had  no  personal  experience  with  the  breed,*  I  prefer 
quoting  tlie  descriptions  of  the  later  standard  English  writers,  to  the  task 
of  compilation. 

The  following  is  from  Spooner  :  t 

"The  CotswolJ  is  a  large  breetl  of  sheep,  u-ith  a  lonpjuid  abundant  fleece,  and  the  ewes 
are  very  i)rolHic  ami  jrinid  ntir.«>s.  Foniierly  they  wore  bred  only  on  tlie  hills,  ajul  falted 
in  tiie  valleys,  of  the  Severn  and  the  Thames;  hut  Vk'ith  the  inclosure  of  the  Cotswold 
Hills  and  the  improvement  of  their  cultivation  they  have  been  reared  and  fatted  iji  the 
same  ilistrict.  They  have  been  extensively  crossed  with  the  Leicester  sheep,  by  which 
tlieir  size  and  lleece  have  been  somewhat  dimiiiLshed,  but  their  carcasses  considerably  im- 
proved, and  their  maturity  rendered  esu-lier.  The  wethers  are  now  somelinies  fattened 
at  14  months  old,  when  they  weigh  from  15  lbs.  to  24  lbs.  per  quarter,  and  at  two  years 
old  increase  to  20  lbs.  or  30  lbs.  Tiie  wool  is  strong,  mellow,  and  of  good  color,  thou£:h 
rather  coarse,  G  to  8  inches  in  length,  aiul  fiom  7  lbs.  to  8  lbs.  per  fleece.  The  superior 
hardihood  of  the  improved  Cotxwold  over  the  Leicester,  and  their  adaptation  to  conunon 
treatment,  together  with  the  prolific  nature  of  the  ewes  and  their  abundance  of  milk,  have 
rendered  tliem  in  niiuiy  places  rivals  of  the  New  Leicester,  and  have  obtained  for  them, 
of  late  years,  more  attentiou  to  their  selection  and  general  treatment,  under  which  man- 
agement still  farther  improvement  appears  very  probable.  They  have  also  been  used  in 
crossing  other  breetls.  and,  as  before  noticed,  luive  been  mi.xed  with  the  IIanij>shire  Downs. 
It  is,  indeed,  the  improved  Cotswold  that,  under  the  term  New  or  Improved  Oxfordshire 
Sheep,  are  so  frequently  the  successful  candidates  for  prizes  oftered  for  the  best  long-wooled 
sheep  at  some  of  the  principal  agricultiu-al  meetings  or  shows  in  the  Kingdom.  The  quality 
of  the  mutton  is  considered  superior  to  that  of  the  Leicester,  the  t<dlovv  being  less  abtuidant, 
with  a  larger  development  of  muscle  or  flesh.  We  may,  therefore,  regard  this  breed  as  one 
of  established  reputation,  and  extending  itself  throughout  every  district  of  the  Kingdom." 

Of  the  method  of  crossing  between  the  Cotswolds  and  Leicester,  Mr. 
Youatt  remarks  :f 

"  The  degree  to  which  the  cross  may  be  carried  must  depend  upon  the  nature  of  the  old 
stock,  and  on  the  situation  and  cluuacter  of  the  farm.  In  exposed  situations,  and  somewhat 
scanty  pasture,  the  old  blood  should  decidedly  prevail.  On  a  more  sheltered  soil,  and  on 
Luid  that  will  bear  closer  stocking,  a  greater  use  may  be  made  of  the  Leicester.  Another 
circumstance  that  will  guide  the  fanner  is  the  object  that  he  princi[)ally  has  in  view.  If  he 
expects  tu  derive  his  chief  profits  from  the  wool,  he  will  look  to  the  primitive  Cotswolds ; 
if  he  expects  to  gain  more  as  a  grazier,  he  will  use  the  Leicester  ram  more  freely." 

Cotswold  sheep  of  good  quality  have  been  imported  into  the  United 
States  by  Messrs.  Corning  &  Sotham,  of  Albany,  and  are  now  bred  by 
the  latter  gentleman,  I  believe  there  were  several  earlier  importations^ 
but  of  their  dates  or  particulars  I  am  not  advised. 

The  Chev^iot  Sheep. — Sheep  of  this  breed  have  been  imported  into  my 
immediate  neighborhood,  and  were  subject  to  my  frequent  inspection  for  two 
or  three  years.  They  had  the  appearance  of  small  Leicesters,  but  were  con- 
siderably inferior  in  correctness  of  proportions  to  high-bred  animals  of  that 
variety.  They  perhaps  more  resemble  a  cross  between  the  Leicester  and 
the  old  "  native  "  or  common  breed  of  the  United  States.  Their  fleeces  were 
too  coarse  to  furnish  a  good  carding  w<iol — too  short  for  a  good  combing  one. 
Mixed  with  a  smaller  lot  of  better  wool,  their  this  year's  clip  sold  for  29 
cents  per  potmd,  while  ray  heavier  Merino  fleeces  sold  for  42  cents  per 
pound.  They  attracted  no  notice,  and  might  at  any  time  have  been 
bought  of  their  owner  for  the  price  of  common  sheep  of  the  same  weight. 
I  believe  the  flock  was  brctken  up  and  sold  to  butchers  and  others  this 
spring,  after  shearing.  They  were  certainly  inferior  to  the  descrijition  of 
the  breed  oy  Sir  John  Sinclair,  even  in  1792,  quoted  by  Mr.  Youatt, ||  and 

'  With  every  breed  previoufly  drsrrihcd,  I  have  had  Bmple  pprsonal  experience.  I  hsvp  mf  rely  teen 
Cotawold  docks.  t  y.  r.,  p.  tf9.  J  Q.  r.,  p.  340.  ||  Q.  r.,  pp.  2)?5,  2eti. 


150 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


had  all  the  defects  attributed  to  the  on^hial  stock  by  Cully  *    They  might 
not,  however,  have  been  favorable  specimens  of  the*  breed. 

On  the  steep,  storm-lashed  Cheviot  Hills,  in  the  extreme  North  of  Eng- 
land, this  breed  first  attracted  notice  for  their  great  hardiness  in  resistino- 


CHEVIOT  EWE. 


cold  and  feeding  on  coarse  heathery  herbage.  A  cross  with  the  Leices- 
ter, pretty  generally  resorted  to,  constitutes  the  improved  variety.  The 
characteristics  of  the  Leicester  are  quite  evident  in  the  portrait  of  the 
Cheviot  Ewe,  above,  copied  from  Mr.  Youatt. 

Professor  Low  thus  speaks  of  tl^e  result  of  this  cross  : 

"  The  Cheviot  breed  amalgamates  with  the  Leicester,  and  a  system  of  breeding  has  been 
extensively  inti-oduced  for  producing  the  first  cross  of  this  descent.  The  rams  employed  are 
of  the  pure  Leicester  breed,  and  the  progeny  is  superior  in  size,  weight  of  wool,  and  "tenden- 
cy to  fatten,  to  the  native  Cheviot.  .  .  .  "The  benefit,  however,  may  be  said  to  end  with  the 
first  cross,  and  the  progeny  of  this  mixed  descent  is  greatly  hiferior  to  the  pure  Leicester 
in  form  and  fattening  properties,  and  to  the  pure  Cheviot  in  hardiness  of  constitution. 

Of  the  improved  Cheviot  Mr.  Spooner  says  : 

"  This  breed  has  gi-eatly  extended  itself  throughout  the  mountains  of  Scotland,  and  in 
many  mstances  supplanted  the  Black-faced  breed  ;  but  the  change,  though  in  many  cases  ad- 
vantageous, has  in  some  instances  been  otherwise,  the  latter  l)^eing  somewhat  hardier,  and 
more  capable  of  subsisting  on  heathy  pasturage.  They  are,  however,  a  haidy  race,  well 
suited  for  their  native  pastures,  bearing  with  comparative  impunity  the  stonns  of  winter, 
and  thriving  well  on  poor  keep.  Though  less  hiirdy  than  the  black-faced  sheep  of  Scotland, 
they  are  more  profitable  as  respects  their  feeding,  making  more  flesh  on  an  equal  quantity 
of  food,  and  making  it  quicker.  They  have  white  faces  and  legs,  open  counteuajices,  lively 
eyes,  without  horns.  The  ears  are  large,  and  somewhat  singular,  and  there  is  much  space 
between  the  ears  and  eyes.  The  carcass  is  long ;  the  back  sti-aight ;  the  slioulders  rather 
light ;  the  ribs  circular ;  and  the  quarters  good.  The  legs  are  small  in  the  bone  and  cov- 
ered with  wool,  as  well  as  the  body,  with  the  exception  of  the  face.  The  Cheviot  wether 
is  fit  for  the  butcher  at  three  years  old,  and  averages  from  12  lbs.  to  18  lbs.  per  quarter— the 
mutton  being  of  a  good  quality,  though  iid'eiior  to  the  South-Down,  and  of  less  flavor  tlian 
the  Black-faced The  Cheviot,  though  a  mountain  breed,  is  qiuet  and  docile,  and  ea- 
sily managed.     The  wool  mfne,  (?)  closely  covers  the  body,  assisting  much  in  preserving  it 

*  See  Cully  on  Live  Stock,  p.  150. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  151 

fmm  th«  olTects  of  wet  mul  colil ;  tlio  fU-ece  avera-png  iiboiit  3.J  lbs.  Foi-mi-rly  tin-  wool  was 
extensively  oinpldyed  for  niakiii<;  t-lollis,  but  having  given  plarc  to  the  liner  Saxony  wools, 
it  has  Slink  in  price,  and  been  coulineJ  to  combing  purposes.  It  liaa  tiius  betomo  altogether 
a  sfeondary  considemtion."  .  .  . 

It"  Mr.  Spocmer  is  not  made  to  say  that  the  wool  is  "  fine"  by  an  omis- 
sion  of  ijualit'ying'  wonls,  or  some  other  misprint,  hi.s  ideas  ofji/icpcss  nui.st 
be  singular  indeed  !  The  South-Down  wool,  rejected  for  cardiii£r  ]»ur- 
pt)ses,  is  several  shades  finer  than  tlie  Cheviot!  The  latter  is  of  about  the 
(juality  of  Leicester,  the  number  of  serrations  about  the  same,  and,  says 
Mr.  Youatt,  speaking  of  the  microscopic  appearance  of  the  wool,  "the 
derivation  of  the  breed  (from  the  Leicester)  is  well  illustrated  by  the 
formation  of  the  fibre." 

Mr.  John  Varley,  manufacturer,  of  Stanningley,  near  Leeds,  thus  testi- 
fied before  the  Lords'  Committee  :* 

"  I  atti-ibiite  the  low  price  of  Cheviot  wool  to  deterioration  ;  it  is  deteriorated  veiy  ranch 
in  point  of  hair ;  it  was  formerly  the  fashion  of  the  day  for  Cheviot  wool  to  bo  worn  us  cloth  ; 

it  is  not  the  fashion  now.     It  is  not  fit  to  make  fine  cloths,  as  it  was  then The  wool 

id  grown  coui-sor  and  longer,  and  oidy  tit  to  make  low  coatings  and  Hushings." 

This  is  confirmed  by  the  testimony  of  other  witnesses  before  the  Com- 
mittee; and  Mr.  Youatt  on  the  same  subject  remarks,!  "that  the  wool  is 
inferior  to  the  South-Down." 

13road-tailed  Asi.\tic  a.\d  African  Sheep. — I  allude  to  the  Broad- 
tailed  race  of  sheep,  not  from  any  hitjh  estimate  which  I  place  upon  their 
value,  but  because  they  constitute  one  of  the  breeds  now  existiufi^  in  a 
state  of  purity  in  the  United  States. 

Some  "  Tunisian  Mountain  Sheep  "  were  received  by  Col.  Pickering 
when  abroad,  and  were  distributed  by  him  in  Pennsylvania.!  They  are 
highly  spoken  of  by  Col.  Powell  as  a  cross  with  the  Dishley  and  South- 
Dovvn.     They  have,  I  believe,  long  since  become  extinct. 

It  was  Commodore  Porter,  I  thitik,  who,  you  informed  me,  sent  home 
some  of  the  Broad-tailed  sheep  of  Asia,  obtained  from  Smyrna,  pure- 
blooded  descendants  of  which  yet  exist  in  South  Carolina. ||  I  have  care- 
fully examined  the  specimens  of  wool  of  the  full  blood  and  the  grades  of 
this  variety  forwarded  by  you.  No.  3,  taken  from  the  skin  of  a  full-blood, 
is  S  inches  long,  pure  white,  consisting  of  coarse  hairs,  uneven  in  their 
length  and  diameter — the  same  hair  of  uneven  diameter  in  different  parts 
of  it,  and  the  whole  intermixed  for  about  4  inches  from  the  roots,  with  a 
fine,  downy  or  cottony  wool.  No.  2,  about  3f  inches  long  from  the  side 
of  a  three-fourths  blood  ram,  is  much  evener  in  quality,  with  no  hairs  as 
coarse  or  wool  as  fine  as  in  No.  3.  It  contains  some  jarr,  or  short,  sharp- 
pointed  hairs,  and  is  a  dry,  and,  I  should  judge,  rather  unworkable  wool, 
not  well  ada])ted  to  either  carding  or  combing.  No.  1,  from  thigh  of  same 
animal,  is  8  inches  long,  resembles  No.  3,  but  not  so  great  a  distinction 
between  the  hair  and  the  wool.  No.  4,  from  a  three-fourths  blood  4-year- 
old  ewe,  is  about  2  inches  long,  contains  a  few  colored  hairs,  resembles 
No.  2.  but  is  somewhat  coarser.  All  these  samples' are  destitute  of  yolk, 
and  apparently  come  from  loose,  light,  dry,  open  fleeces.  They  do  not 
strike  me  as  wools  which  could  be  as  profitably  cultivated  as  many  others, 
for  any  objects  or  under  any  circumstances. 

If  the  object  is  mutton  instead  of  wool,  it  seems  to  me  that  a  better  se- 
lection can  be  made,  from  some  of  the  English  breeds — which  intermingle 

*  Rischoff',  vol  ii ,  p.  144.  Mr.  Youatt  quotes  the  aubetancc  of  tho  above,  and  fully  sustams  Mr.  Varley'a 
Tiewg.  t  Q.  v.,  p.  •J-'u. 

J  j<ee  Essay  on  Various  Brredg  of  .^hcep,  by  Col.  John  Hare  Powell,  published  in  the  Memoirs  of  the 
Board  of  Ai;riciilturi'  of  the  .^tnte  of  New-^urk.  vol.  iii.,  p.  :i77,  (182fi.) 

il  In  Letwr  Vth  I  inndvprtcntly  sjioki;  ..f  these  as  a  large  breed  of  sheep.  They  are  not  above  medium 
aize,  ur  raiher,  may  be  said  to  be  a  smallish  race. 


152  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

their  fat  and  muscle  in  such  a  manner  as  to  render  both  palatable,  instead 
of  depositing  a  gi-eatly  d.sproportioned  share  of  the  former  in  one  luscious 
mass,  forming  an  impediment  to  breeding,  and  an  unsightly  appendage  in 
the  eye  of  the  breeder. 

All  the  different  varieties  of  the  Broad-tailed  and  Fat-nimped  sheep 
■will  be  found  described  in  Youatt,  and  I  will  not  now  consume  your  time 
with  them. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  153 


LETTER  XL 

THE  MOST  PROFITABLE  BREED  OF  SHEEP  FOR  THE  SOUTH.— PRINCIPLES 

OF  BREEDING. 

Breed B should  be  adapted  to  the  circumstnnceB  of  a  Country... rirriimctnnces  requiring  a  Mutton  Pheep 
...Comparison  beiwcen  Mutluii  .«heep — The  South-Downs,  Lciceeters  and  Cotswoide..  .Ilfjw  far  the  Ke«d 
M«rket?,  &.C..  of  the  Souili  deinand  such  breeds. .  .What  breed  of  t^heep  will  give  the  (greatest  value  of 
Wool  from  the  feed  of  an  acre  t. .  .Comparative  Consumption  and  Wool  Product  of  the  Mutton  breeds  and 
the  Merino— Other  Kxpenses — Comparative  Hardiness,  tc. -A  pound  of  line  wool  can  be  gi'own  hh  cheaply 
as  a  pound  of  coarse — worth  more  for  market  or  for  consumption..  .The  Mutton  of  the  Merino  and  its 
Crosses...  What  sub.variety  of  the  Merino  best  adapted  to  the  wants  of  the  South  ?...  Review  of  the  His- 
tory of  WooUUrowing  and  the  Wool  Markets  since  IflM..  .Tarirt's  and  Prices..  .Injudicious  couri<e  of  iho 
Manufacturers— Have  discouraged  the  growth  of  tine  wool  and  encouraged  that  of  medium  and  coarse. . . 
A  surplus  of  medium  wools,  and  a  bare  or  short  supply  of  fine..  -Manufacturers  now  in  the  power  of  fine 
wool  growers..  Interest  of  the  Manulacturers  to  encourage  the  growth  of  fine  wools  by  paying  better 
prices — are  beginning  to  do  so— will  be  compelled  to  continue  this  course..  .Will  the  North  furnish  the 
uicrcasinc  demand  ?— No — Reasons..  .Fine  wool  in  every  point  of  view  more  profitable  than  coarse  for 
cultivation  in  tho  South... Comparison  between  Merinos  and  Saxons. .  .Crosses  between  them..  .Points 
which  constitute  excellence  in  a  Merino — proper  size — per  centage  of  wool  to  live-weit'ht — shape  and  gen- 
eral appearance — skin— wrinkles..  .The  wool— what  parts  it  should  cover— its  gum — length  and  weight  of 
fleece— eveuness-siyle-f  oftness— serration — manner  of  opening,  fee...  Principles  of  breeding. . .  In  a'nd-in 
breeding... Crossing... Kntrlish  Crosses  with  the  Merino..  .Views  of  Mr.  Livingston  concerning  the  use  of 
cross-bred  rams — ot  the  French  breeders — of  the  author...  Great  importance  ofstarting  a  flock  with  choice 
rams — with  ditl'ereni  strains  of  blood. 

Dear  Sir :  No  one  breed  of  sheep  combines  the  highest  perfection  in  all 
those  points  which  give  value  to  this  race  of  animals.  One  is  remarkable 
for  the  weight,  or  early  maturity,  or  excellent  quality  of  its  carcass,  while 
it  is  deficient  in  quality  or  quantity  of  wool ;  and  another  which  is  valu- 
able for  wool,  is  comparatively  deficient  in  carcass.  Some  varieties  will 
flourish  only  under  certain  conditions  of  feed  and  climate,  while  others 
are  much  less  affected  by  those  conditions,  and  will  subsist  under  the 
greatest  variations  of  temperature,  and  on  the  most  opposite  qualities  of 
verduie. 

In  selecting  a  breed  for  any  given  locality,  we  are  to  take  into  consid- 
eration Jirst,  the  feed  and  climate,  or  the  surrounding  natural  circum- 
stances ;  and,  second,  the  market  facilities  and  demand.  We  should  then 
make  choice  of  that  bi'eed  which,  with  the  advantages  possessed,  and  un- 
der all  the  circumstances,  will  yield  the  greatest  net  value  of  marketable 
product. 

Rich  lowland  herbage,  in  a  climate  which  allows  it  to  remain  green 
during  a  large  portion  of  the  year,  is  favorable  to  the  production  of  lam^e 
carcasses.  If  convenient  to  markets  where  mutton  finds  a  prompt  sale 
and  good  prices,  then  all  the  conditions  are  realized  which  call  for  a  mut- 
ton, as  contradistinguished  from  a  wool-producing  sheep.  Under  such  cir- 
cumstances, the  choice  should  undoubtedly,  in  my  judgment,  rest  between 
the  improved  English  varieties — the  South-Down,  the  New  Leicester,  and 
the  improved  Cotswold  or  New  O.xfordshire  sheep.  In  deciding  between 
these,  minor  and  more  specific  circumstances  are  to  be  taken  into  account. 
If  we  wish  to  keep  large  numbers,  the  Do^v^^  will  herd*  much  bettor  than 
the  two  larger  breeds  ;  if  our  feed,  thoutjh  generally  plentiful,  is  liable  to 
be  shortish  during  the  drouths  of  summer,  and  we  have  not  a  certain  sup- 
ply of  the  most  nutritious  winter  feed,  the  Down  will  better  endure  occa- 
sional short  keep:  if  the  market  calls  for  a  choice  and  high-flavored  mut- 
ton, the  Down  possesses  a  decided  superiority.     If,  on  the  other  hand,  we 

*  Tluu  is,  remain  thriving  and  healthy  when  kept  together  in  large  numbers. 

u 


154  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

wish  to  keep  but  few  in  the  same  inclosure,  the  large  breeds  will  be  as 
healthy  as  the  Downs  ;  if  the  pastures  be  wettish  or  marshy,  the  former 
will  better  subsist  on  the  rank  herbage  which  usually  grows  in  such  situa- 
tions ;  if  they  do  not  afford  so  fine  a  quality  of  mutton,  they,  particularly 
the  Leicester,  possess  an  earlier  maturity,  and  both  give  more  meat  for 
the  amount  of  food  consumed,  and  yield  more  tallow. 

The  next  point  of  comparison  between  the  Long  and  Middle  wooled 
families,  is  the  value  of  their  wool.  Though  not  the  first  or  principal  ob- 
ject aimed  at  in  the  culture  of  any  of  these  breeds,  it  is,  in  this  country, 
an  important  item  or  incident  in  determining  their  relative  profitableness. 
The  American  Leicester*  yields  about  6  lbs.  of  long,  coarse,  combing  wool; 
the  Cotswold  something  more,  but  this  perhaps  counterbalanced  by  other 
considerations  ;  the  Down  from  3  lbs.  to  4  lbs.  of  a  low  quality  of  carding 
wool.  None  of  these  wools  are  very  salable,  at  remunerating  prices,  in 
the  American  market.  Both  will  become  more  so,  as  manufactures  of 
worsted,  and  of  flannels  and  baizes,  increase.  The  difference  in  the  weight 
of  fleeces  between  the  breeds  is,  per  se,  a  less  important  consideration  than 
w^ould  first  appear,  and  for  reasons  which  will  be  given  when  I  speak  of 
the  connection  between  the  amount  of  wool  produced  and  the  food  con- 
sumed, by  sheep. 

Of  the  Cheviots  I  have  taken  no  notice  in  this  connection,  as  they  are 
obviously  inferior  to  the  preceding  breeds,  except  in  a  capacity  to  endure 
ri,p"orous  weather,  and  to  subsist  on  heathy  herbage.  No  jiart  of  the 
South  has  a  climate  too  severe  for  the  more  valuable  races,  and  its  grasses 
and  other  esculents,  wherever  found,  and  as  far  as  they  go,  are,  making 
the  proper  allowances  for  wet  and  dry  lands,  highly  palatable  and  nutri- 
tious to  all  the  varieties  which  respectively  feed  in  such  situations. 

Under  the  natural  and  artificial  circumstances  already  alluded  to,  which 
surround  Sheep  Husbandry  in  many  parts  of  England — where  the  fattest 
and  grossest  quality  of  mutton  is  consumed  as  almost  the  only  animal  food 
of  the  laboring  classes — the  heavy,  early  maturing  New  Leicester,  and  the 
still  heavier  New  Oxfordshire  sheep,  seem  exactly  adapted  to  the  wants 
of  producer  and  consumer,  and  are  of  unrivaled  value.  To  depasture 
poorer  soils — sustain  a  folding  system — and  furnish  the  mutton  which  sup- 
plies the  tables  of  the  wealthy — the  South-Down  is  an  equal  desideratum. 

Have  we  any  region  in  our  Southern  States,  where  analogous  circum- 
stances demand  the  introduction  of  similar  breeds  ]  The  climate,  so  far  as 
its  effect  on  the  health  is  concerned,  is  adapted  to  any,  even  the  least 
hardy  varieties  ;  but  not  so  its  effects  on  the  verdure  on  which  they  are  to 
subsist.  The  long,  scorching  summers,  so  utterly  unlike  those  of  England, 
leave  the  grass  on  lands  stocked  heavily  enough  for  profit,  entirely  too 
dry  and  short  for  the  heavy,  sluggish  Long  Wools.  This  is  particularly 
true  in  the  tide- water  zone.  Mutton,  too,  sheeted  over  externally  with 
three  or  four  inches  of  solid  fat,t  even  if  it  could  be  made  acceptable  to 
the  slave,  in  lieu  of  his  ration  of  bacon — a  thing  more  than  doubtful — 
would  never  find  any  considerable  market  off  from  the  plantation.  So  far 
as  the  supply  of  feed  is  concerned,  the  above  remaiks  apply,  though  not 
equally,  to  the  South-Down.  It  will  live  and  thrive  where  the  Long  Wools 
would  dwindle  away,  but  it  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  the  heavy  im- 


*  I  use  the  word  "  American  "  I^eicester,  because  it  is  notorious  that  this,  as  well  as  the  Cotswold — and 
all  the  other  heavy  Knglish  varieties,  soon  lose  in  the  weight  of  their  Heeces  when  subjected  to  the  climate 
and  the  (best  ordinary)  system  of  feeding  in  the  United  States.  I  should  except,  perhaps,  a  few  highly 
pampered  animals. 

t  Five  and  even  six  inches  of  solid  fat,  on  the  rib,  is  not  uncommon  in  England.  In  the  Cotewolds  the 
fat  and  lean  are  more  iuiermixed,  and  the  mutton  is  of  a  better  quaiity  ;  but  it  would  be  considered  en- 
tii'ely  too  luscious  and  tallowy  by  Americans. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  155 

proved  South-Down  will  subsist,  aud  attain  its  proper  wei'^lit  and  fatness, 
on  very  poor  or  very  scant  lierliane.  The  old  tdiiinproi^cd  variety  would, 
like  some  other  smallish  and  hardy  races,  obtain  a  livinfr  on  keep  as  poor 
as  that  which  ffrew  on  the  lightest  and  thinnest  soils  of  Sussex.  Moulded 
by  the  hand  of  Ellnian,  and  other  breeders,  to  better  fulfill  the  conditions 
of  a  mutton  sheep,  in  size  and  otlier  particulars,  they  demand  that  in- 
creased supply  of  food  which  the  formation  of  additional  fat  and  muscle 
require.  Ketaining  some  of  the  properties  of  the  parent  stock,  they  are 
less  sluggish,  and  bear  travel  better  than  the  Long  Wools  ;  but  with  them 
as  witli  the  latter,  and  all  other  animals,  much  or  prolonged  exercise  in 
pursuit  of  food  or  otherwise,  is  unfavorable  to  obesity.  Men,  and  par- 
ticularly oirners,  in  advocating  the  claims  of  this  breed  and  that,  seem  not 
unfre(juently  to  forget  that  the  general  physical  laws  which  control  in  the 
development  of  all  the  animal  tissues  as  well  as  functions,  are  uniform. 
Better  organs  will  doubtless  make  a  better  appropriation  of  animal  food  ; 
and  they  may  be  taught,  so  to  speak,  to  appropriate  it  in  particular  direc- 
tions— in  one  breed,  more  especially  to  the  production  of  fat — in  another, 
of  muscle  or  lean  meat — in  another,  wool.  But,  caitcris  ^?(77?i?/5,  large 
animals  will  always  require  more  food  than  small  ones.  Animals  wliich 
are  to  be  carried  to  a  high  state  of  fatness  must  have  plentiful  and  nutri- 
tious food,  and  they  must  exercise  but  little  in  order  to  prevent  the  unne- 
cessary "combustion"  in  the  lungs,  of  that  carbon  which  forms  more  than 
seven-tenths  of  their  fat.  No  art  of  breeding  can  countervail  these  estab- 
lished laws  of  Nature. 

Again,  there  are  no  facilities  in  the  South  for  marketing  large  quantities 
of  mutton — of  a  tithe  of  that  which  would  be  annually  fitted  for  the  sham- 
bles, were  Sheep  Husbandry  introduced  to  anything  like  the  extent  I  have 
recommended,  and  with  the  mutton,  breeds  of  sheep.  With  few  cities  and 
large  villages — with  a  sparse  population — with  an  agricultural  population 
the  greatest  drawback  on  whose  pecuniary  prosperity  Is  their  inability  to 
market  their  own  surplus  edibles — not  a  particle  of  rational  doubt  can  ex- 
ist on  this  point.  True,  I  have  expressed  the  opinion  that,  both  as  a  mat- 
ter of  healthfulness  and  economy,  mutton  should  be  substituted  for  a  moi- 
ety of  the  bacon  used  on  the  plantation ;  but  with  such  a  change,  in  a 
country  so  exclusively  agricultural,  each  landholder  would  raise  his  own 
supply,  and  thus  no  market  be  created.  It  may  then  be  regarded  as  a  set- 
tled point  that  the  production  ^f  wool  is  the  primary,  the  gieat  object  of 
Southern  Sheep  Husbandry. 

In  instituting  a  comparison  between  breeds  of  sheep  for  wool-g^owino- 
purposes,  I  will,  in  the  outset,  lay  down  the  obviously  incontrovertible 
proposition  that  the  question  is  not  what  variety  will  shear  the  heaviest  or 
even  the  most  valuable  fleeces,  Irrespective  of  the  cost  of  production. — 
Cost  of  feed  and  care,  and  every  other  expense,  must  be  deducted,  to  fairly 
test  the  profits  of  an  animal.  If  a  large  sheep  consume  twice  as  much  food. 
as  a  small  one,  and  give  but  once  and  a  half  as  much  wool,  it  is  obviously 
more  profitable,  other  things  being  equal,  to  keep  two  of  the  smaller  sheep. 
The  true  question  then  is,  with  the  same  expense  in  other  particulars,  From 
what  breed  will  the  verdure  of  an  acre  of  land  produce  the  greatest  value  of 
wool  ? 

Let  us  first  proceed  to  ascertain  the  comparative  amount  of  food  con- 
sumed by  the  several  breeds.  There  are  no  satisfactory  experiments 
which  show  that  breed,  in  itself  considered,  has  any  particular  influence  on 
the  quantity  of  food  consumed.  It  is  found,  with  all  varieties,  elmt  the  con- 
sumption is  in  prf)portion  to  the  live  weight  of  the  (grown)  animal.  Of 
course,  this  rule  is  not  invariable  in  its  individual  application,  but  its  gen- 


156  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

eral  soundness  has  been  satisfactorily  established.  Spooner  states  that 
grown  sheep  take  up  3^  per  cent,  of  their  weight  in  what  is  equivalent  to 
dry  hay  per  day,  to  keep  in  store  condition.  Veit  places  the  consumption 
at  2i  per  cent.  My  experience  would  incline  me  to  place  it  about  midway 
between  the  two.  But  whatever  the  precise  amount  of  the  consumption, 
if  it  is  proportioned  to  the  weight,  it  follows  that  if  an  acre  is  capable  of 
sustaining  three  Merinos  weighing  100  lbs.  each,  it  will  sustain  but  two 
Leicestei's  weighing  150  lbs.  each,  and  two  and  two-fifths  South-Downs 
weighing  125  lbs.  each.  Merinos  of  tliis  weight  often  shear  5  lbs.  per 
fleece,  taking  flocks  through.  The  herbage  of  an  acre,  then,  would  give 
15  lbs.  of  Merino  wool,  and  but  12  lbs.  of  Leicester,  and  but  9f  lbs.  of 
South-Down  (estimating  the  latter  as  high  as  4  lbs.  to  the  fleece)  !  Even 
the  finest  and  lightest  fleeced  sheep  ordinarily  known  as  Merinos,  average 
about  4  lbs.  to  the  fleece,  so  that  the  feed  of  an  acre  would  produce  as 
much  of  the  highest  quality  of  wool  sold  under  the  name  of  Merino,  as  it 
would  of  New  Leicester,  and  more  than  it  would  of  South-Down !  The 
former  would  be  worth  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  per  cent,  more  per  pound 
than  either  of  the  latter  !  Nor  does  this  indicate  all  the  actual  difference, 
as  I  have,  in  the  preceding  estimate,  placed  the  live-weight  of  the  English 
breeds  low,  and  that  of  the  Merino  high.  The  live-weight  of  the  four- 
pound  fine-fleeced  Merino  does  not  exceed  90  lbs.  It  ranges  from  80  to 
90  lbs.,  so  that  300  lbs.  of  live-weight  would  give  a  still  greater  product 
of  wool  to  the  acre.*  I  consider  it  perfectly  safe  to  say  that  the  herbage 
of  an  acre  unll  uniformly  give  nearly  double  the  value  of  Mcri7W,  that  it  will 
of  any  of  the  English  Long  or  Middle  wools. 

The  important  question  now  remains.  What  are  the  other  relative  ex- 
penses of  these  breeds  ?  I  speak  from  experience  when  I  say  that  the 
Leicestert  is  in  no  respect  a  hardier  sheep  than  the  Merino — indeed,  it  is 
my  firm  conviction  that  it  is  less  hardy,  under  the  most  favorable  circum- 
stances. It  is  more  subject  to  colds,  and  I  think  its  constitution  breaks  up 
more  readily  under  disease.  The  lambs  are  more  liable  to  perish  from  ex- 
posure to  cold,  when  newly  dropped.  Under  unfavorable  circumstances — 
herded  in  large  flocks,  pinched  for  feed,  or  subjected  to  long  jounieys — 
its  capacity  to  endure,  and  its  ability  to  rally  from  the  effects  of  such  draw- 
backs, do  not  compare  with  those  of  the  Merino.  The  high-bred  South- 
Down,  though  considerably  less  hardy  than  the  unimproved  parent  stock, 
is  still  fairly  entitled  to  the  appellation  of  a  hardy  animal.  In  this  respect 
I  consider  it  just  about  on  a  par  with  the  Merino.  I  do  not  think,  how- 
ever, it  will  bear  as  hard  stocking  as  the  latter,  without  a  rapid  diminution 
in  size  and  quality.  If  the  peculiar  merits  of  the  animal  are  to  be  taken 
into  account  in  determining  the  expenses — and  I  think  they  should  be — 
the  superior  fecundity  of  the  South-Down  is  a  point  in  its  favor,  as  well 
for  a  wool-producing  as  a  mutton  sheep.  The  South-Down  ewe  not  only 
frequently  yeans  twin  lambs,  as  do  both  the  Merino  and  Leicester,  but  she 
possesses,  unlike  the  latter,  nursing  properties  to  do  justice  by  them.  But 
this  advantage  is  fully  counterbalanced  by  the  superior  longevity  of  the 
Merino.  All  the  English  mutton  breeds  begin  to  rapidly  deteriorate  in 
amount  of  wool,  capacity  to  fatten,  and  in  general  vigor,  at  about  5  years 
old  ;  and  their  early  maturity  is  no  offset  to  this,  in  a  sheep  kept  for  wool- 
growing  purposes.  This  early  decay  would  require  earlier  and  more  rapid 
slaughter  or  sale  than  would  always  be  economically  convenient,  or  even 
possible,  in  a  region  situated  in  all  respects  like  the  South.     It  is  well,  on 


*  It  is  understood  that  all  of  these  live-weiglits   refer  to  ewes  in  fair  ordinary,  or  what  is  called  store 
condition, 
t  I  speak  of  fuU-blood  Leicestere.    Some  of  ite  crosses  are  much  hardier  than  the  puie  bred  sheep. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  157 

properly  stocked  farms,  to  slaujjhter  or  turn  off  the  Merino  wether  at  four 
ur  five  yoai-3  old,  to  make  room  for  the  breeding  etock  ;  but  he  will  not 
particularly  deteriorate,  and  he  will  richly  pay  the  way  with  his  fleece,  for 
several  years  longer,  lireeding  ewes  are  rarely  turned  ott'  before  n'shf, 
and  are  frequently  kept  until  ft'n  years  old,  at  which  period  they  exhibit 
no  greater  marks  of  age  than  do  the  Dowii  and  Leicester  at  Jiie  or  six. — 
I  have  known  instances  of  Merino  ewes  breeding  uniformly  until  1.5  years 
old!  The  Improved  Cotswold  is  said  to  be  hardier  than  the  Leicester ; 
but  I  have  said  less  of  this  variety,  throughout  this  entire  Letter,  as  from 
their  great  size*  and  the  consequent  amount  of  food  consumed  by  them, 
and  the  other  necessary  incidents  connected  with  the  breeding  of  so  large 
animals,  tlie  idea  of  their  being  introduced  as  a  u-ool-grou-ing  sheep  any- 
where, and  particularly  on  lands  grassed  like  those  of  the  South,  is,  in  my 
judijment,  utterly  prejiosterous.  There  is  one  advantage  which  all  the 
coarse  races  of  sheep  have  over  the  Merino.  Either  because  their  hoofs 
do  not  grow  long  and  turn  under  from  the  sides,  as  do  those  of  the  Meri- 
no, and  thus  hold  dirt  and  filth  in  constatit  contact  with  the  foot,  the  coarse 
races  are  less  subject  to  the  visitations  of  the  hoof-ail,  and,  when  contract- 
ed, it  spreads  with  less  violence  and  malignity  among  them.  Taking  all 
the  circumstances  connected  with  the  peculiar  management  of  each  race, 
and  all  the  incidents,  exigencies,  and  risks  of  the  husbandry  of  each  fairly 
into  account,  I  am  fully  convinced  that  the  expenses,  other  than  those  of 
feed,  are  not  smaller  per  capita,  or  even  in  the  number  required  to  stock 
an  acre,  in  either  of  the  English  breeds  above  referred  to,  tlian  in  the  Me- 
rino. Nor  should  I  be  disposed  to  concede  even  equality,  in  these  respects, 
to  either  of  those  English  breeds,  excepting  the  South-Down. 

You  w^^te  me,  Sir,  that  many  of  the  South  Carolina  planters  are  under 
the  impression  that  coarse  wools  will  be  most  profitably  grown  by  them, 
Jirst,  because  there  is  a  greater  deficit  in  the  supply,  and  they  are  better 
protected  from  foreign  competition;  and,  5eco«^/v,  because  they  furnish 
the  raw  material  for  so  great  a  portion  of  the  woolens  consumed  in  the 
South.  Each  of  these  premises  is  true,  but  are  the  conclusions  legitimate  ? 
Notwithstanding  the  greater  deficit  and  better  protection,  do  the  coarse 
wools  bear  as  high  a  price  as  the  fine  ones]  If  not,  they  are  not  as  profit- 
able, for  I  have  already  shown  that  it  costs  no  more  to  raise  a  pound  of 
coarse  than  a  pound  of  fine  wool.  Nay,  a  pound  of  medium  Merino  wool 
can  be  raised  7nore  cheaply  than  a  pound  of  the  South-Down,  Leicester, 
or  Cotswold  !      This  I  consider  clearly  established. 

Grant  that  the  South  requires  a  much  creater  proportion  of  coarse  than 
of  fine  wool,  for  her  own  consumption.  If  a  man  needing  iron  for  his  own 
consumption,  wrought  a  mine  to  obtain  it,  in  which  he  should  happen  to 
find  gold  equally  accessible  and  plentiful,  would  it  be  economical  in  hira 
to  neglect  the  more  precious  metal  because  he  wanted  to  use  the  iron  ?  or 
should  he  dig  the  eold,  obtain  the  iron  by  exchange,  and  pocket  the  differ- 
ence in  value  1  Would  it  be  economical  to  grow  surplus  wool,  wool  for 
market,  worth  from  25  to  30  cents  per  pound,  when  it  costs  no  more  per 
pound  to  grow  that  worth  from  40  to  4.5  cents  1  And  even  for  the  home 
want,  for  the  uses  of  the  plantation — for  slave-cloths,  &:c. — fine  icool  is 
worth  more  per  j)ound  than  coarse  for  actual  wear  or  use!  Is  this  propo- 
sition new  and  incredible  to  you  ?  I  challenge  the  fullest  investigation  of 
its  truth,  through  the  testimony  of  those  familiar  with  the  subject,  or  thnnitjh 
the  direct  ordeal  of  experiment.  It  is  true  that  a  piece  of  fine  broadcloth 
is  not  so  strong,  nor  will   it  wear  like  a  Chelmsford  plain  of  treble  thick- 

*  I  saw  two  at  the  late  N.  Y.  Slate  Fair,  at  Saratoga,  which  weighed  orer  300  lbs.  each  t 


158  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

ness.  The  threads  of  the  former  are  spun  to  extreme  fineness  to  econo- 
mize the  costly  raw  material.  To  give  it  that  finish  which  is  demanded 
by  fashion — to  give  it  its  beautiful  nap — these  threads  are  still  farther  re- 
duced by  "gigging"  and  "shearing."  But  spin  fine  wool  into  yarn  aa 
coarse  as  that  used  in  Chelmsfords,  and  manufacture  it  in  the  same  way, 
and  it  would  make  a  far  stronger  and  more  durable  cloth.  The  reasons 
are  obvious.  Merino  wool  is  decidedly  stronger  than  the  English  coarse 
Long  and  INIiddle  wools — or  any  other  coarse  wools — in  proportion  to  its 
diameter  or  bulk.  It  felts  far  better,  and  there  is  therefore  a  greater  co- 
hesion between  the  different  fibres  of  the  same  thread,  and  between  the 
different  threads.  It  is  also  more  pliable  and  elastic,  and  consequently  less 
subject  to  "  breaking"  and  abrasion. 

Unless  the  views  I  have  advanced  are  singularly  erroneous,  it  will  be 
seen  that,  for  wool-growing  purposes,  the  Merino  possesses  a  marked  and 
decided  superiority  over  the  best  breeds  and  families  of  coarse-wooled 
sheep.  As  a  mutton  sheep,  it  is  inferior  to  some  of  those  breeds,  but  not 
so  much  so  as  it  is  generally  reputed  to  be.  If  required  to  consume  the 
fat  and  lean  together,  many  who  have  never  tasted  Merino  mutton,  and 
w^ho  have  an  unfavorable  impression  of  it,  would,  I  suspect,  find  it  more 
palatable  than  the  luscious  and  over-fat  New  Leicester.  The  mutton  of 
the  cross  between  the  Merino  and  "  Native "  sheep  would  certainly  be 
preferred  to  the  Leicester,  by  anybody  but  an  English  laborer  used  to  the 
latter.  It  is  short-grained,  tender,  and  of  good  flavor.  The  same  is  true 
of  the  crosses  with  the  English  varieties.  These  will  be,  hereafter,  more 
particularly  alluded  to.  Grade  Merino  wethers  (say  half-bloods)  are  favor- 
ites with  the  Northern  drover  and  butcher.  They  are  of  good  size — ex- 
traordinarily heavy  for  their  apparent  bulk* — make  good  mutton — tallow 
well — and  their  pelts,  from  the  greater  weight  of  wool  on  them,  command 
an  extra  price.  They  would,  in  my  opinion,  furnish  a  mutton  every  way 
suitable  for  plantation  consumption,  and  one  which  would  be  well  accept- 
ed in  the  Southern  markets. 

In  speaking  of  the  Merino  in  this  connection,  I  have  in  all  cases,  unless 
it  is  distinctly  specified  to  the  contrary,  had  no  reference  to  the  Saxons — 
though  they  are,  as  it  is  well  known,  pure-blooded  descendants  of  the 
former. 

Assuming  it  now  as  a  settled  point,  that  it  is  to  the  Merino  race  that  the 
wool-grower  must  look  for  the  most  profitable  sheep,  let  us  now  proceed 
to  inquire  which  of  the  widely  varying  sub-varieties  of  this  race  are  best 
adapted  to  the  wants  and  circumstances  of  the  South.  A  brief  glance  at 
the  history  of  wool-growing,  and  of  the  wool  markets,  for  the  last  few 
years,  will  form  an  useful  preliminary  inquiry,  and  will  assist  us  materially 
in  arriving  at  a  correct  conclusion. 

On  the  introduction  of  the  Saxons,  about  twenty-four  years  since,  they 
were  sought  with  avidity  by  the  holders  of  the  fine-wooled  flocks  of  the 
country,  consisting  at  that  time  of  pure  or  grade  Merinos.  The  Tariff  of 
1824  imposed  a  duty  of  20  per  cent,  on  wools  costing  above  10  cents  per 
pound,  gradually  rising  to  30  per  cent.,  and  15  per  cent,  on  those  costing 
less  than  10  cents.  Foreign  woolen  cloths  t  were  subject  to  an  ad  valorem 
duty  of  30  per  cent,  until  June  30th,  1825,  and  after  that  it  was  raised  to  33^ 
per  cent.  The  Tariff  of  1828  immediately  raised  the  duty  on  all  wools  to  40 
per  cent,  ad  valorem  and  4  cents  per  pound  specific  duty,  and  5  per  cent, 
was  to  be  annually  added  to  the  ad  valorem  duty,  until  it  should  reach  50 

*  On  account  of  the  ehortneM  of  their  wool,  compared  with  the  coarse  breeds. 

t  ^here  I  upe  ihe  word  "  clothe  "  here  and  in  the  etatements  of  the  difterent  Tariffs  which  follow,  yoa 
will  understand  that  I  do  not  Include  carpetingB,  blankets,  worsted  stuff  goods,  &c. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


159 


per  cent,  (in  1831.)  The  duty  on  woolen  cloths  was  also  raised  (after  June, 
1829)  to  45  per  cent.,  and  that  exceeding  S4  the  scjuare  yard  to  50  per 
cent.  Untler  the  decisive  encouragement  offered  to  both  the  wool- 
grower  and  manufacturer  by  this  Act,  a  great  impetus  was  given  to  the 
j)ro(luction  of  the  finest  wools,  and  the  Saxons  everywhere  rapidly  su- 
perst'ded,  or  bred  out  by  crossing,  the  Spanish  Merinos.  The  latlt-r  dis- 
appeared almost  entirely  from  New-York  and  New-England.  In  the 
Hne-wool  mania  which  ensued,  weight  of  fleece,  constitution,  and  every- 
thing else,  were  sacriliced  to  the  quality  of  the  wool.  The  Tariff  of  1832 
imposed  a  40  per  cent,  ad  valorem,  and  4  cents  per  pound  specific  duty  on 
wools  costing  over  8  cents  ;  and  it  raised  the  duty  on  all  broadcloths  to  50 
percent.  It  made  wools  costing  less  than  8  cents  per  pound  free  of  duty. 
The  "  Comprnmise  "  Taritf  of  1S33  commenced  a  system  of  progressive 
re(luctii)iis  until  the  piaximum  rate  of  duties  should  not  exceed  20  per 
cent.  The  following  Table  will  give  the  duties  of  each  year,  on  wool- 
and  cloths,  under  this  Act,  estimating  the  ad  valorem  and  specific  duties 
on  wools  exceeding  8  cents,  together  in  an  average  per  centage  :* 

TABLE  14. 


Wool  costine;  less  than  6  cents  per  pound 

at  place  of  exportation 

Wool  costin?  over  8  cents  per  pound 

Woolen  cloths 


Per  a 

ad  val. 


free. 

54 
50 


free. 

50-60 
47 


free. 

47-20 
44 


1837.     1839 


free. 

43-80 
41 


free. 

40-40 
38 


free. 

30-20 
29 


20 

20 


The  Tariff  of  1841  struck  out  the  20  per  cent,  duty  on  the  8  cent  wools. 
The  Tariff  of  1842  again  imposed  an  ad  valorem  duty  of  5  per  cent,  on 
wools  costing  seven  cents  or  under,  and  raised  it  on  the  higher  wools  to  30 
per  cent,  ad  valorem  and  3  cents  per  pound  specific  duty,  and  on  cloths  to 
40  per  cent,  ad  valorem.  The  Tariff  of  1846  established  an  ad  valorem 
duty  of  30  per  cent,  on  all  wools,  and  on  cloths.  By  referring  to  Table 
7,  Letter  v.,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  prices  of  wool  have  not  been  controlled 
by  the  amount  of  the  protection.  They  reached  their  maximum  in  1836, 
and  then  fell  off,  not  again  to  rally,  (except  during  the  single  year  1839) — 
not  again  to  reach  40  cents — until  1844.  Why  was  this  1  What  pro- 
duced the  sudden  depreciation  of  1837  1  The  'Tariffs  of  1828  and  1832 
ga.\e  too  m»ch  jjrofcction  to  both  wool-grower  and  manufacturer.  Their 
pursuits  became  the  El  Dorado  of  acfncultural  and  mercantile  speculators. 
Skill  without  capital,  and  capital  without  skill,  and  in  some  cases  probably 
thirst  of  gain  without  either,  rushed  into  these  favored  avocations.  The 
bank  inflations  of  the  period  fanned  the  fires  of  speculation,  and  tauofht 
some  of  the  wisest  commercial  heads  of  the  country  to  forget  the  provi- 
dence that  had  hitherto  distinguished  them.  The  natural  result  followed. 
In  the  financial  crisis  of  1837,  manufacturinsT,  and  all  other  monetary  en- 
terprises which  had  not  been  conducted  with  skill  and  providence,  and 
which  were  not  based  on  adequate  and  real  capital,  were  involved  in  a 
common  destruction,  and  even  the  solidest  and  best  conducted  institutions 
of  the  country  were  shaken  by  the  fury  of  the  explosion.  Wool  suddenly 
fell  almost  50  per  cent,  (from  54  to  30  cents  per  pound.)  t  In  1838  it  ral- 
lied a  little,  and  in  1839  it  again  reached  50  cents,  but  it  went  down  nearly 
to  the  minimum  point  in  1840.  The  grower  began  to  be  discouraged. 
He  who  bred  the  delicate  Saxons,  (and,  as  I  have  already  said,  they  now 
comprised  the  flocks  of  nearly  all  the  large   wool-growers  in  the  country,) 

*  Thp  redaction  of  one-tenth  of  the  excee*  over  20  per  cent,  took  pUce  Dec.  31ft.  each  year,  to  1841 ;  then 
one-half  of  the  residue  of  the  exccsa  ;  and  on  the  3<Jth  of  June,  IS-iS,  the  other  half  of  eaid  residue  wag  de- 
ducted. 

t  The  quality  of  the  wools  here  alluded  to  will  be  found  epecifled  in  a  note  on  the  lecond  page  of 
Letter  V. 


160  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

was  not  obtaining  the  actual  first  cost  per  pound  of  his  wool.  He  clam- 
ored loudly  for  an  increase  of  duties  on  the  foreign  article,  as  the  reduc- 
tions of  the  "  Compromise  "  Act  were  now  approaching  their  ultimate 
standard — 20  percent. — and  he  attributed  the  low  prices  to  this  cause: 
Saxon  wool  continued  low,  and  did  not  pay  its  first  cost  in  1841  and  1842. 
Was  this  due  solely  to  the  reduction  of  the  Tariff]  A  reference  to  Table 
11  (Letter  IX.)  will  show  that  the  import  of  foreign  woolens  was  less  from 
1836  up  to  and  including  1842,  than  for  the  six  preceding  years  !  Where 
then  was  the  foreign  competition  which  was  driving  the  manufacturer  to 
keep  down  the  price  of  wools'?  The  Tariff  of  1842  raised  the  duty  on 
wool  10  per  cent,  and  added  a  specific  duty  of  3  cents  per  pound  ;  and  it 
raised  the  duty  on  cloths  from  20  to  40  per  cent.  The  import  of  foreign 
woolens  sunk,  the  succeeding  year,  to  a  lower  point  than  it  had  touched 
since  1821,  and  in  1844  and  1845  it  did  not  reach  the  average  of  the  six 
years  preceding  the  enactment  of  the  Tariff  of  1842.  A  reference  to 
Table  9  (Letter  IX.)  will  show  that  the  import  of  foi'eign  fine  wools  also 
largely  fell  off.  This  coincided  with  the  expectations  of  the  advocates  of 
a  higher  Tariff,  but  another  and  equally  legitimate  expectation  entertained 
by  the  great  body  of  Northern  wool-growers — that  they  were  to  share  in 
the  benefits  arising  from  the  exclusion  of  foreign  competition — was  sig- 
nally disappointed.  The  Tariff'  of  1842  was  enacted  on  the  30th  day  of 
August,  and  part  of  the  clip  of  that  year  was  sold  under  its  operation. 
Wool  sold  that  year  loiver  than  it  had  for  the  five  preceding  years,  viz.,  for 
30  cents.  The  next  year  it  advanced  one  penny  !  General  discourage- 
ment now  seized  upon  the  growers  of  fine  wool.  The  market  was  not 
overstocked — foreign  competition  was  light,  but  still  they  could  not  &e\\ 
their  wool  for  its  first  cost !  To  add  to  their  mortification,  the  manufac- 
turer, by  a  most  short-sighted  policy,  would  scarcely  make  a  discrimina- 
tion of  6d.  per  pound  between  Saxon  wool  and  medium  Merino  and  grade 
wools  weighing  nearly  twice  as  much  to  the  fleece.  If  the  grower  of  me- 
dium wool  got  25  cents  per  pound  for  fleeces  weighing  4  lbs. — thus  real- 
izing ^1  per  fleece — the  ordinary  Saxon  grower  would  get  but  30  cents 
per  pound  for  fleeces  weighing  2^  lbs.,  and  thus  realize  but  75  cents  !  * 
When  the  Saxon  growers  found  that  the  Tariff  of  '42  brought  them  no 
relief,  they  began  to  give  up  their  costly  and  carefully  nursed  flocks.  The 
example,  once  set,  became  contagious,  and  there  was  a  period  when  it 
seemed  as  if  all  the  Saxon  sheep  of  the  country  would  be  sacrificed  to 
this  reaction.  Many  abandoned  wool-growing  altogether,  at  a  heavy  sacri- 
fice of  their  fixtures  for  rearing  sheep.  Others  crossed  with  coarse-wooled 
breeds,  and  rushing  from  one  extreme  to  the  other,  some  even  crossed 
with  the  English  mutton  breeds  !  Some  more  judiciously  went  back  to 
the  parent  Merino  stock,  but  usually  they  selected  the  heaviest  and 
coarsest  wooled  Merinos,  and  thus  materially  deteriorated  the  character  of 
their  wool.  As  the  preceding  period  had  been  distinguished  by  its  mania 
for  fine  wool,  this  was,  by  its  mania  for  heavy  fleeces  !  \  The  English 
crosses,  however,  were  speedily  abandoned.^     The  Merino  regained  his 

*  And  though  the  ItiTger,  stronger  sheep,  besring  the  medium  wool,  would  ent  more,  it  was  far  hardier, 
required  less  protection  and  care  of  every  kind,  and  would  increase  more  rapidly — circumstances  which 
would  far  more  than  counterbnlaijce  its  excess  of  consumption 

t  I  make  no  claim  of  haTJnc  possessed  greater  sagacity  or  foresight  in  the?e  particulars  than  the  mass  of 
b.-eeders.  I  btgan  with  the  Merino.  These  I  crossed  with  the  Saxon,  and  I  also  bred  the  pure-blood  Sax- 
ons for  several  years.  Unsatisfied  with  these,  1  made  some  experiments  with  the  English  mutton  breeds, 
both  as  pure  bloods  and  cro.sses.  Finding  none  of  them  equal  to  the  Merino  as  a  wool-producing  sheep,  I 
returned  to  the  latter,  and  1  bred  for  heavy  fieeces  until  the  manufacturers  saw  fit  to  make  a  jusler  discrim- 
ination in  the  prices  paid  by  them  for  the  ditterent  qualities  of  wool. 

1 1  mean  by  those  who  soucht  to  improve  their  fint-wooled  flocks  by  an  English  cross.  English  and  all 
other  coarse-wooled  sheep  are  immensely  and  rapidly  improved,  for  wool-growing  purposes,  by  a  proper 
fine-wooled  cross,  as  1  have  already  and  shall  again  have  occasion  to  mention. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  161 

Bupremacy,  lost  for  nearly  twenty  years,  and  agafn  became  the  popular 
favorite.  It  was  generally  ado])ted  by  those  who  were  commencing  tlocks 
in  the  new  Western  States,  and  gives  its  type  to  the  sheep  of  those  re- 
gions. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  preceding  facts  that  the  supply  of  fine  wool* 
has  proportionably  decreased,  and  that  of  medium  and  coarse  increased. 
This  has  driven  the  maiiut'acfurers  to  make  a  ju?ter  discriniiiialioii  in 
prices.  They  now  realize  tliat  their  own  short-sighted  economy  has  been 
all  but  fatal  to  tine  wool-growing  in  the  United  States.  And  they  cannot 
but  feci  that  in  destroying  this  interest,  they  destroy  themselves.  Our 
manufacturers  are  not  so  miserably  blind  as  to  dream  of  drawing  their  raw 
material  from  foreign  countries — of  paying  an  import  duty  of  30  per  cent, 
and  tlieii  competing  with  the  Knglish  manufacturer  who  pays  an  import  duty 
rot  exceeding  two  pence  per  pound!  It  is  doiibtful,  in  my  mind,  whether 
the  home  supply  will  not  fall  considerably  slmrt  of  the  home  demand  for 
fine  wool  /(/r  this  year  /t  The  point  has  been  already  reached  where  but 
a  little  more  discouragement,  or  a  little  longer  continvcd  discouragement, 
would  have  banished  these  wools  from  the  country  !  So  far,  the  manufac- 
tories have  not  felt  this  evil,  for  they  have  not  been  compelled  to  import. 
Neither  pampered  nor  persecuted  by  the  Tariff  of  184G — called  for  by  the 
consumption  of  the  country — with  solid  ca])ital  and  greater  experience 
and  skill  at  their  command — they  are  rapidly  increasing,  and  rising  on  a 
solider  basis  than  ever  before.  So,  to  sustaiji  our  man vfnctv ring  interest, 
(that  engaged  in  the  mainifacture  of  fine  cloths,)  it  is  absolutely  necessary 
that  the  diminution  of  ^w«  wools  be  not  only  immediately  arrested,  but 
that  the  growth  of  them  be  immediately  and  largely  increased.  These 
facts  now  first  beginning  to  be  clearly  appix;cia1ed  by  the  manufacturer — 
will  deter  him  from  resorting  to  his  former  suicidal  policy.  Instances  have 
recently  come  to  my  knowledge  of  manufacturers  oflering  to  contract 
with  fine-wool  growens  for  their  entire  clips,  for  a  term  of  years,  at  an  ad- 
vance on  present  prices — prices,  be  it  remembered,  higher  than  they  have 
been  except  for  two  years  (1839  and  1844)  since  the  overthrow  of  1837. 
Should  the  manufacturer,  however,  again  forget  his  own  interest,  the  fine- 
wool  grower  has  it  in  his  power  to  teach  it  to  bim  most  effectually.  In- 
stead of  being  discouraged  and  driven  from  the  business,  he  has  but  to 
withhold  his  wools  f(;r  a  season — say  for  a  few  months,  to  compel  the  for- 
mer to  import  wools  at  a  ruinous  cost — stop  his  machinery,  or  pay  fair 
prices  at  home  !  I  believe  in  no  combinations  to  control  prices.  Some- 
thing far  better  than  vague  report,  however,  says  that  several  of  the  large 
manufacturing  establishments  of  New-England  employed  \.\\<i  same  agents, 
last  season,  to  buy  much,  if  not  all  of  their  wools — and  that  these  wools 
wei-e  subsequently  divided  by  bidding  or  otherwise,  among  the  parlies  to 
the  transaction  !  Is  this  denied  ?  I  think  it  will  not  be  denied.  If 
this  was  so,  what  was  it  but  a  combination  to  control  prices  ?  |  But  whether 

•  To  TnHke  mjrsctf  clearly  understood.  I  will,  in  the  remnrks  which  fnlltnv,  clnssifT  wools  m  fntlowg  :  »«. 
per/in^,  the  choicest  qunlity  of  wool  crown  in  the  T'diied  Siaie?,  Hnd  never  crown  here  excejuinc  in  com- 
paratively  sioull  qnanlities :  fine,  pood  ordinary  i^axon  ;  good  midium,  the  highest  fjuiiliiy  of  wool  uetially 
known  in  the  market  a«  Merino;  meHium,  ordiriary  AfiTiiio :  ordinnni.  cmde  Merino  find  perhaps  feiecred 
Souih-Down  fleeces  :  ronrae.  ihe  Knalish  ton:;  wool".  &c.  This  snhdivi«ion  is  not  niinnle  enoiiuh.  hy  any 
means,  to  express  fully  the  number  of  well-defined  clashes  which  exist  in  wool.  A  farther  muhiplication 
of  ibem  here,  however,  I  have  thoutiht  would  only  lend  to  confusion. 

♦  The  position  has  N-en  alt  alone  taken  ihat  the  general  supply  was  under  the  deBiand,  but  the  dcdcit 
hitherto  has  be«,'n  principally  in  medium  and  co«r,-e  wools,     ."^ee  Table  <>,  Letter  IX 

}  And  betbre  leavinc  this  point.  I  will  ask  another  question  :  Why  were  most  of  the  wools  of  New- York 
and  New-Encland  untouched  and  unlnoked  at  by  the  a!r«'nta  of  the  manufacturers  this  year.  con?rary  to 
•11  preceilini;  customs  Ibr  two  or  three  months  subsequently  to  shearing?  These  same  ncents  ll.>che<I  in 
droves  to  the  Western  .''t-ites  and  Imuaht  up  their  entire  clip  immediately  after  shearinL-.  wliile  report* 
were  conslamly  cominj  back  that  this  manufactory  and  that  had  [lurchased  its  entire  supplv  tor  a  year,  or 
perhaps  two  years?  Waa  this  iH-eauae  the  fTastero  growers  demanded  exorbitant  prices  ?  Wa«  rt  hecause 
aoything  like  wa  approach  to  a  Mipply  of  fine  woob  covld  be  fouBd  u  the  We»t  t  Or  wma  il  the  result  of  • 

X 


162  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

so  or  not,  when  we  compare  the  profits  which  have  inured  to  the  growers 
and  manufacturers  of  fine  wool  for  the  last  few  years,  it  Ifehooves  the  for- 
mer both  to  sjyeak  and  ac^ decidedly.  Their  inteiests  have  been  sacrificed 
long  enough  !  But  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  grower  of  these  wools  will 
not  be  hei-eafter  driven  to  the  alternative  of  either  suffering  himself,  or  of 
defendino-  himself  by  retaliatory  measures.  Some  few  of  the  manufac- 
turers have  always,  I  beheve,  taken  a  high  and  liberal  course.  Enough 
others,  as  already  remarked,  now  see  the  necessity  of  such  liberality  to 
prevent  any  combined  or  general  effort  to  depress  prices. 

Will  the  North  again  turn  its  attention  to  the  growth  of  superfine  and 
fine  wools — again  supply  the  demand,  and  keep  up  with  it  as  it  increases  \ 
Not  unless  stimulated  by  the  inducement  of  extraordinary  profits — not, 
certainly,  against  the  competition  of  the  South.  The  climate  north  of  41°, 
or,  beyond  all  dispute,  north  of  42°,  is  too  severe  for  any  vai'iety  of  sheep 
commonly  known,  which  bear  either  of  these  classes  of  wools.  In  fact,  the 
only  such  variety,  in  anything  like  general  use,  is  the  Saxon ;  and  this  is 
a  delicate  sheep,  entirely  incapable  of  safely  withstanding  our  Northern 
winters,  without  good  shelter,  good  and  regularly  administered  food,  and 
careful  and  skillful  management  in  all  other  j)articulars.  When  the  season 
is  a  little  more  than  usually  backward,  so  that  grass  does  not  start  prior  to 
the  lambing  season,  it  is  difficult  to  raise  the  lambs  of  the  mature  ewes — 
the  young  ewes  will  in  many  instances  disown  their  lambs,  or,  if  they  own 
them,  not  have  a  drop  of  milk  for  them ;  and  if  in  such  a  crisis,  as  it  often 
Jiaj-ypens,  a  north-east  or  noith-west  storm  comes  driving  down,  bearing 
snow  or  sleet  on  its  wings,  or  there  is  a  sudden  depression  of  the  temper- 
ature from  any  cause,  no  care  will  save  multitudes  of  lambs  from  perish- 
ing.* And  it  will  not  do  to  defer  the  time  of  having  them  dropped  to  es- 
cape these  evils,  or  they  will  not  attain  size  and  strength  enough  to  pass 
safely  through  their  first  winter.f  A  few  large  sheepholders,  whose  farms, 
buildings,  etc.,  have  been  arranged  with  exclusive  reference  to  the  rearing 
of  these  sheep,  may  continue  to  grow  fine  wool  until  driven  from  it  hy  the 
competition  of  the  South  ;  but  many  of  these  have  recently  adopted  a 
Merino  cross.  The  ordinary  farmers,  the  small  sheepholders,  who,  in  the 
aggregate,  grow  by  far  the  largest  portion  of  our  Northern  wools,  have  im- 
bfbed  a  deep-seated  aversion — nay,  a  positive  disgust— against  the  Saxon 
sheep.  They  have  not  the  necessary  fixtures  for  their  winter  protection, 
and  they  are  entirely  unwilling  to  bestow  the  necessary  amount  of  care  on 
them.  Besides,  mutton  and  wool  being  about  an  equal  consideration  with 
this  class  of  farmers,  they  want  larger  and  earlier  maturing  breeds.  But, 
above  all,  they  want  a  strong,  hardy  sheep,  which  demands  no  more  care 
than  their  cattle.  The  strong,  compact,  medium-wooled  Merino — or,  per- 
haps still  more  generally,  its  crosses  with  coarse  varieties,  producing  the 
wool  which  I  have  classified  as  ordinary — will  be  the  general  favorites. — 
The  same  reasons  will  weigh  still  more  strongly  in  the  North-west,  where, 
as  I  have  shown,  the  climate  is  a  still  worse  one  for  delicate  sheep.  All 
these  causes  will  tend  to  swell  the  amount  of  medium,  ordinary  and  coarse 


concerted  movetnem,  to  bring  the  Eastern  grower  into  taking  last  year's  prices  ?  It  actually  did  so,  in  a 
multitude  of  instancRS— or,  he  was  contented  to  receive  the  slightest  advance  on  them  !  This  will  be  found 
true  of  nearly  all  who  Bold  eoon  after  the  market  opened  in  the  East.  If  not  the  result  of  a  concerted  and 
combined  moveiuenl,  the  general  deRcrtion  of  the  Kaptern  and  resort  to  the  Western  market  hy  the  manu- 
facturers was  a  most  singular  coincidence  I  These  manufacuirers  are  now/am  to  purchase  Eastern  wools 
Bt  a  considirahle  advance  from  the  prices  of  184(5— and.  as  already  hinted,  it  is  highly  problematical,  m  my 
mind  whether  they  will  not  be  compelled  to  import  at  a  still  higher  advance,  to  eke  out  a  deficiency  !  It  is 
to  be  hoped  tlrat  tins  will  be  the  last  Act  in  the  drama  of  folly  and  suicide  played  by  our  manutaclurerg. 

*  Not  even  in  close  bams,  and  with  constant  atlenilance. 

t  North  of  latitude  42°,  it  is  necessary,  as  a  general  rule,  that  lambs  be  dropped  in  the  first  half  of  May,  to 
give  them  this  requi-'ite  size  and  strength  OccHsional  cold  storms  come  nearly  every  season  up  to  that 
period,  and  not  unfr.'qu<-ntly  u])  lo  the  tirst  of  .lune.  Mr.  (irove  was  a  decided  advocate  of  early  lumbe.— 
He  u£ed  to  say  that  "  it  was  better  to  lose  two  of  them  in  the  spring  than  one  in  the  faU." 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  1G3 


■W00I3.  ThouQ[h  the  reaction  has  been  but  recent,  the  market  demand  for 
medium  and  ordinary  wools  is  now  belter  supplied — nearer  bcintr  glutted, 
80  far  as  I  am  enabled  to  judge — than  that  tor  Hue  and  supe'rHue.  Aud 
should  the  market  become  glutted  with  either  or  both,  it  is  important  t() 
remember  that  the  latter  will  be  far  more  profitable  for  exjwrt  than  the 
former. 

Every  consideration,  then,  in  my  judgment,  points  to  wools  ranging  from 
good  medium  upward,  instead  of  the  lower  classes,  as  the  most  profitable 
staples  for  cultivation  in  the  vSouth.  The  only  question  which  now  arises 
on  this  point  is,  from  which  variety,  the  Saxon  or  Merino,  shall  the  South 
attempt  to  cultivate  these  wools  1 

It  is  generally  supposed,  and  as  a  general  thing  it  is  time,  that  the  Me- 
rino bears  no  better  wool  than  that  wliich  1  have  classified  as  good  medi- 
um. But  the  measurements  of  Dr.  Emmons  (given  in  Letter  X.)  show, 
by  the  infallible  testimony  of  the  microscope,  that  heavy-fleeced  Merinos 
sometimes  equal — nay,  surpass  Saxons,  in  fineness.  The  fact  is  more  de- 
cisive, as  the  Saxon  fibres  there  measured  came  not  only  from  the  most 
celebrated  flocks — from  the  prize  sheep  at  State  Fairs — but  it  also  came 
from  samples,  in  most  instances,  given  by  the  oicners  for  public  exhihition. 
I  do  not  claim  that  Merinos  like  these  are  common.  They  are  rather  to 
be  regarded  in  the  light  of  those  prodigies  of  excellence  which  occasion- 
ally appear,  but  which  it  is  difficult  to  reproduce  with  anything  like  uni- 
formity. Nor  are  lesser  fleeced  Merinos,  bearing  wool  equal  to  ordinary 
Saxon,  very  common.  During  the  fine  wool  mania,  all,  who  sought  fine 
wool,  bred  the  Saxon  sheep,  or  crossed  with  it ;  and  the  few  who  stood 
out,  and  clung  to  the  Merino,  generally  aimed  to  distinguish  it  as  widely 
as  possible  from  the  former,  by  increasing  the  weight  of  its  fleece,  to  the 
disregard  of  its  fineness.  This,  too,  was  the  general  disposition  during  the 
heavy-fleeced  mania.  Of  consequence,  but  very  few  of  our  breeders  have 
ever,  or  until  recently,  sought  a  high  degree  of  fineness  in  fleece  in  breed- 
ing the  Merino,  Recent  experience  has  satisfied  me  that  this  is  rapidly 
attainable.  Mr.  Lawrence,  in  a  quotation  already  made  by  me  (in  Letter 
I.),  says  :  "  I  believe  a  breed  may  be  reared  which  will  give  four  pounds 
of^  exquisitely  fine  wool  to  the  fleece."  I  know  by  multiplied  experiments 
that  once  interbreeding  between  an  ewe  bearing  good  medium  wool  (the 
fleece  weighing,  say,  from  4^-  lbs.  to  5  lbs.),  with  a  Merino  ram  of  suffi- 
ciently high  quality,  will  produce  wool  in  the  offspring  eqiialing  ordinary 
Saxon,  and  a  fleece  averaging  4  lbs.,  with  none  of  its  weight  made  up  of 
gum.  The  result  of  two  such  interbreedinq^s  will  bring  the  progeny  of  a 
heavy-fleeced  medium  ewe  (provided  her  fleece  is  properly  even)  to  the 
same  point.  The  four-pound  fine-fleecod  Merino  would  be  a  far  more 
profitable  animal  than  the  Saxon,  other  things  being  equal.  But  other 
things  are  not  equal.  The  former  is  every  way  a  hardier  animal,  and  a 
better  nurse.  It  is  about  20  lbs.  heavier,  and  therefore  consumes  more 
feed ;  but  I  consider  this  additional  expense  more  than  counterbalanced 
by  the  additional  care  and  risk  attending  the  husbandry  of  the  Saxon.  If 
required  to  keep  the  number  good,  and  give  the  proper  attention  to  the 
rearing  of  lambs,  I  would  sooner  engage  to  keep,  at  the  same  price, 
one  thousand  such  Merinos  for  a  year,  than  to  keep  the  same  number  of 
Saxons. 

It  would  be  practicable,  doubtless,  to  increase  the  Saxon's  fleece  to  4 
lbs. ;  but  any  one,  familiar  with  such  experiments,  knows  that  it  is  far  easier 
to  increase  fineness  of  wool,  by  diminishing  weight  of  fleece  and  carcass  a 
little,  than  it  is  to  increase  weight  of  fleece  and  carcass  without  lowering 
the  quality  of  the  wool.     And  there  is  this  additional  objection  to  the  latter 


164  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

Bystem  of  breeding,  so  far  as  the  Saxon  is  concerned.  The  breeder  is  not 
only  called  upon  to  increase  the  weight  of  its  fleece  and  carcass,  but  to  en- 
graft on  it  hardiness  of  constitution,  nursing  properties,  etc.,  which  by  no 
means  follow,  as  a  matter  of  course,  its  imjirovement  in  the  former  partic- 
ulars. These,  and  particularly  the  latter,  could  only  be  attained,  so  as  to 
be  transmissible  with  a  proper  degree  of  certainty  from  parents  to  offspring, 
by  years  of  breeding,  accompanied  by  a  rigorous  course  of  selection.  If, 
therefore,  you  were  called  upon  \.oform  a  variety  just  suited  to  your  wants, 
the  Merino  would  present  the  most  ductile  and  the  safest  materials.  But 
the  Southern  agiiculturist,  just  entering  upon  sheep-rearing,  would  not  be 
prepared  to  conduct  nice  experiments  in  breeding.  He  wants  a  breed  or 
variety  already  prepared  to  his  hand.  And  for  the  same  reasons,  notwith- 
standing the  fineness  of  his  climate,  he  wants  a  hardy  breed — one  that  de- 
mands no  extra  skill,  no  great  experience,  for  its  management.  Merinos 
reachino-  or  closely  approaching  the  standard  above  specified  are  now  to 
be  found,  while  there  is  no  dorresponding  variety  of  Saxons  ;  and  to  incur 
the  risks  arising  from  inexperience,  want  of  preparation,  &c.,  the  superior 
hardiness  of  the  foiTner  would,  of  course,  render  them  entirely  prefer- 
able. 

Some  have  recommended  a  cross  between  the  Saxons  and  Merinos,  as  a 
cheap  and  ready  method  of  obtaining  a  four-pound  fine-fleeced  sheep.  A 
properly  selected  Saxon  ram,  crossed  with  good  medium  and  medium- 
wooled  Merino  ewes,  cutting  from  5  lbs.  to  5^  lbs.  of  wool,  will  almost  uni- 
formly produce  this  result.  And  it  is  easier  noio  to  get  the  Saxon  than  the 
Merino,  fine  enough  for  this  purpose.  Oi*  a  flock  may  be  bred  up  from 
Saxon  ewes  and  a  Merino  ram.  The  objection  to  both  courses  is  the  same, 
though  not  equal  to  that  which  exists  against  breeding  the  full-blood  Sax- 
ons— viz.,  the  production  of  a  feeble  and  a  poor  nursing  sheep.  The  latter 
evil,  especially,  clings  for  generations  to  these  cross-bred  animals,  so  far  as 
my  experience  and  observation  have  extended.  And  unless  Saxons  are 
selected  which  do  not  possess  the  characteristic  faults  of  the  variety,  the 
cross-breds  are  inferior  to  pure-blood  Merinos  in  many  of //er  and  essefUial 
particulars,  notwithstanding  the  fleece  may  be  all  that  we  desire. 

There  is  another  important  point  where  the  pure-blood  Merino  possesses 
a  marked  advantage.  Few  Southern  wool-growers  will  commence  their 
flocks  exclusively  with  high-bred  animals  of  any  kind.  With  a  few  of  them 
to  breed  rams  from,  and  to  gradually  grow  up  a  full-blood  flock,  they  will 
mainhj  depend  upon  grading  up  the  common  sheep  of  the  country.  With 
the  long-legged,  bare-bellied,  open-wooled  sheep  common  in  the  South  (as 
it  once  was  in  the  North\  the  Saxon  makes  an  indifferent  cross.  Their 
faults  run  too  much  in  the  same  direction,  in  all  save  the  fineness  of  wool, 
for,  however  good  its  shape,  the  wool  of  the  Saxon  is  comparatively  short 
and  open.  It  therefore  shortens  the  wool  of  the  common  sheep,  without 
adding  much  or  any  to  its  thickness,  and  thus  the  fleece  remains  a  light 
one.  Precisely  all  this  is  the  reverse  of  what  results  from  a  cross  between 
the  Merino  and  the  common  sheep.  The  wool  is  but  little  shortened,  un- 
less the  staple  of  the  common  sheep  was  very  long;  it  is  essentially  thick- 
ened ;  it  is  made  to  extend  over  the  belly  ;  the  fleece  is,  therefore,  greatly 
increased  in  weight ;  the  sheep  is  rendered  more  compact  and  "  stocky," 
and  it  is  brought  nearer  to  the  ground.  Even  the  first  cross,  though  its 
fleece  is  somewhat  uneven,  is  a  prime  sheep  for  the  wants  of  ordinary  farm- 
ers, and  among  these  it  is,  accordingly,  a  decided  favorite,  over  the  whole 
Northern  States.  A  majority  of  them  would,  I  think,  give  it  preference 
over  any  other  kind  or  variety  of  sheep.  Two  or  three  more  proper  Me- 
rino crosses  raise  it  to  the  rank  of  a  first-rate  wool-grovnng  sheep — scarcely 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  1G5 

inferior  to  the  full-blood  Merino  in  anything,  save  that  it  docs  nut  transmit 
its  good  qualities  with  quite  so  much  certainty  to  its  offspring* 

Let  us  now  proceed  to  inquire  what  are  the  ])oint8  which  constitute  ex- 
cellence, or  mark  a  departure  from  it,  in  the  class  of  Merino  sheep  which 
I  have  attempted  to  show  form,  in  every  point  of  view,  the  most  suitable 
raricty  to  commo!ice  wool-growinnr  with  in  the  South.  What  should  be  its 
size,  weiq;ht  of  fleece,  shape,  general  appearance,  style  of  wool,  &c.  &c.  1 

Size,  within  extremes,  is  not,  j>er  se,  a  matter  of  much  consequence. — 
There  should,  however,  be  uniformity  in  this  particular,  at  least  through 
the  same  flock,  not  only  for  their  good  appearance,  but  larger  sheep  are 
apt,  by  their  superior  strength,  to  crowd  away  small  ones  from  the  rack  or 
trough.  A  sheep  very  small  of  its  breed  andfajnily,  is  commonly  less  hardy. 
If  very  large,  it  must  travel  farther  to  fill  itself ;  and,  therefore,  this  would 
be  an  objection  to  it  in  a  breed  designed  to  graze  on  short  and  scant  paS' 
turage — for  the  extra  exercise  thus  made  necessary  would  cause  it  to  waste 
(in  the  form  of  carbon,  in  the  lungs)  a  considerable  portion  of  the  food, 
which  would,  under  other  circumstances,  be  converted  into  animal  tissues. 
Very  large,  like  very  small  animals,  of  the  same  species — and,  1  am  in- 
clined to  think,  the  former  more  frequently — lack  the  robustness,  vigor  of 
muscle,  capacity  to  endure  unusual  and  protracted  exercise,  or  privation 
of  food,  or  any  other  unfavorable  deviation  from  ordinary  habits,  possessed 
by  compact  medium-sized  animals.  Tliis  rule  will  be  found  to  apply  among 
all  domestic  animals.  Lastly,  I  am  not  prepared  to  prove,  but  I  believe 
that,  with  the  sa?fie  breeding,  the  woolly,  like  the  osseous  and  muscular  tis- 
sues of  a  lai'ge  Merino  sheep,  will  not  be  as  fine  as  those  of  a  smaller  one. 
I  do  not  found  this  opinion,  so  far  as  wool  is  concerned,  upon,  nor  do  1 
claim  that  it  is  supported  by,  any  analogies.  I  state  it  as  solely  the  result 
of  individual  observation.  If  it  is  a  tendency  which  can  be  successfully  re- 
sisted, I  never  have  been  fortunate  enough  to  have  a  sufficient  number  of 
instances  brought  under  my  eye,  in  any  one  flock,  to  have  them  constitute 
anything  more  than  sparse  exceptions  to  what  I  deem  a  well  established 
rule.  I  have  never  known  a  family  of  very  large  Merinos  bearing  anything 
better  than  medium  wool  ;  and  the  first  step  to  any  decided  improvement 
in  them  immediately  reduces  their  weight,  for  it  can  only  be  effected  by 
interbreeding  with  finer  and  smaller  families.  Ewes  weighing  from  80  lbs. 
to  90  lbs.  alive,  in  good  fair  store  condition,  are  of  about  the  proper  size, 
in  my  judgment,  where  fine  wool  is  the  object.t  Rams  should  weigh  40 
lbs.  or  50  lbs.  more.  Ewes  of  the  large  Merino  families  weigh  fiom  100 
lbs.  to  110  lbs. — the  rams  50  lbs.  more  ;  nor  do  even  these  equal  the  size 
of  some  of  the  late  imported  French  Merinos. 

A  relation  analogous  to  the  preceding  one,  exists  between  the  weight  of 
the  fleece  and  its  quality.  This  point  has  already  been  suflficiently  set 
forth  on  another  page.  The  opinion  is  there  expressed  that  the  Merino  may 
be  easily  bred,  by  judicious  selection  of  sire  and  dam,  to  bear  4  lbs.  of  fine 
wool,  or  wool  equaling  ordinary  Saxon.  I  would  now  add  that,  as  a  gen- 
eral rule,  and  in  large  flocks,  I  do  not  believe  more  than  this  can  be  ob- 
tained, without  a  depreciation  in  the  quality,  among  ewes.  The  rani's 
fleece  shoidd  in  all  cases,  in  a  very  superior  animal,  he  about  double  that 
of  the  ewe.  Five  per  cent,  of  the  live-weight  of  the  carcass,  with  ewes,  is 
the  maximum  weiirht  of  fine  wo(»l,  which  we  can,  in  the  present  state  of 
breeding,  look  for  with  any  uniform  certainty.  This  would  give  a  fleece 
of  4  lbs.  to  80  lbs.  of  live-weiffhu  As  the  fine-wool  Merinos  increase,  and 
thus  give  a  wider  range  and  better  selection  of  materials  for  nice  experi- 

*  The  latter  point  vrill  bo  more  particularly  adverteil  to  in  a  eabiequent  part  of  this  Letter, 
t  Saxooi  weigh  about  20  Ibi.  lOM. 


1G6  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

merits,  it  is  very  possible  that  the  per  centage  of  the  fleece  may  be  increased. 
Mr.  Lawrence,  in  speaking  of  attaining  a  four-pound  fleece  of  "  exquisite" 
quality,  undoubtedly  alluded  to  the  wool  which  I  have  classed  as  superfine. 
The  four-pound  fleeced  fine  Merino  can  undoubtedly  be  made  svjicrfine, 
by  diminishing  the  weight  of  its  fleece  10  or  12  ounces  or  a  pound  ; 
and  even  then  it  will  be  a  hardier  and  better  animal  than  the  finer 
class  of  Saxons  which  now  produce  this  wool.  But  whether  Mr.  Law- 
rence's standard  can  be  fully  attained,  neither  experience  nor  obser- 
vation enable  me  to  decide.  If  it  could,  and  the  sheep  be  equal  to  the 
four-pound  _^'«e-fleeced  Merino  in  other  respects,  we  should  have  apf?yff^ 
sheep.  Such  wool  has  sold  this  year  at  upward  of  60  cents  per  pound, 
which  would  bring  the  fleeces  to  $2  40  a  piece  !  It  may  be  well  here  to 
glance  at  the  comparative  worth  of  fleeces  in  the  several  Merino  families, 
taking  this  year's  prices,  and  taking  the  weights  which  are  usually  found 
accompanying  the  several  qualities,  in  prime  ordinary  flocks.  A  fine  fleece 
of  4  lbs.,  at  50  cents,*  would  be  worth  $2  ;  good  medium,  weighing  4^ 
lbs.,  at  40  cents,  $1  80  ;  medium,  weighing  5  lbs.,  at  32  cents,  $1  60.  And 
the  consumption  of  feed  rises  with  the  diminution  of  quality.  Admitting 
the  daily  consumption  of  hay  for  150  days  to  be  3  per  cent,  to  the  hve- 
weight,  100  fine  Merinos,  averaging  85  lbs.  each,  would  consume  about  19 
tons  of  hay ;  and  100  medium  Merinos,  averaging  105  lbs.  each,  would 
consume  abovit  231  tons — an  important  difference  in  their  relative  ex- 
penses!  The  fine-wooled  Merino  does  not,  like  the  Saxon,  lose  his  ad- 
vantage in  this  particular  by  his  inferior  hardiness. 

The  shape  and  general  appearance  of  the  Merino  should  be  as  follows  : 
The  head  should  be  well  carried  up,  and  in  the  ewe  hornless.  It  would 
be  better  on  many  accounts  to  have  the  ram  also  hornless,  but,  being  usu- 
ally characteristic  of  the  Merino,  many  prefer  to  see  them.  The  face 
should  be  shortish,  broad  between  the  eyes,  the  nose  pointed,  and  in  the 
ewe  fine  and  free  from  wrinkles.  The  eye  should  be  bright,  moderately 
prominent,  and  gentle  in  its  expression.  The  neck  should  be  straight  (not 
curving  downward),  short,  round,  stout — particularly  so  at  its  junction  with 
the  shoulder,  forward  of  the  upper  point  of  which  it  should  not  sink  below 
the  level  of  the  back.  The  points  of  the  shoulder  should  not  rise  to  any 
perceptible  extent  above  the  level  of  the  back.  The  back,  to  the  hips, 
should  be  straight;  the  crops  (that  portion  of  the  body  immediately  back 
of  the  shoulder-blades)  full  ;  the  ribs  well  arched  ;  the  body  large  and  ca- 
pacious ;  the  flank  well  let  down ;  the  hind-quarters  full  and  round — the 
flesh  meeting  well  down  between  the  thighs,  (or  in  the  "  twist.")  The 
bosom  should  be  broad  and  full ;  the  legs  short,  well  apart,  and  perpendic- 
ular, [i.e.,  not  drawn  under  the  body  toward  each  other  when  the  sheep  is 
standing.)  Viewed  as  a  whole,  the  Merino  should  present  the  appearance 
of  a  low,  stout,  plump,  and — though  diflering  essentially  from  the  EngHsh 
mutton-sheep  model — a  highly  symmetrical  sheep. 

The  skin  is  an  important  point.  It  should  be  loose,  singularly  mellow, 
of  a  rich,  debcate  pink  color.  A  colorless  skin,  or  one  of  a  tawny,  ap- 
proaching to  a  butternut  hue,  indicates  bad  breeding.  On  the  subject  of 
wrinkles,  there  is  a  difference  of  opinion.  Being  rather  characteristic  of 
the  Merino — like  the  black  color  in  a  Berkshire  hog,  or  the  absence  of  all 
color  in  Durham  cattle — these  wrinkles  have  been  more  regarded,  by  nov- 
ices, than  those  points  which  give  actual  value  to  the  animal  ;  and  shrewd 
breeders  have  not  been  slow  to  act  upon  this  hint !  Many  have  contended 
that  more  wool  can  be  obtained  from  a  wrinkled  skin  ;  and  this  is  the  view 

*  This  is  not  hiijh  (or fine  Merino  wool.  Thonah  I  sold  my  lot  for  42  cents,  I  was  oflered  50  cents  for  the 
fleeces  of  nearly  all  my  "later-bred  ahoep,  if  I  wuuld  sell  them  separately. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  167 


of  the  case  which  has  iiuluceil  hotli  the  Spanish  and  French  breeders  to 
cultivate  them — the  latttr  to  u  nioiistiosity.  I  confess  that  1  ai'ree,  to  a 
considerable  extent,  with  Mr.  Joshua  Kirby  Trimmer,*  lliat  "this  idea  is 
as  wild  as  that  which  some  of  our  theorists  liavo  entertained,  that,  by  lay- 
ing lands  in  liigh  ridges  and  low  furrows,  the  surface  of  the  earth  and  its 
produce  is  increased."  Though  1  once  entertained  a  different  opinion,  the 
steel-yards  have  satisfied  me  that  an  exceedingly  wiinkled  neck  does  not 
add  but  a  little  to  the  weight  of  the  fleece — not  enough  to  compensate  for 
the  deformity,  and  the  great  impediment  which  it  places  in  the  way  of  the 
shearer.  1  have  owned  rams,  the  labor  of  shearing  six  of  which,  in  a  nice 
and  workmanlike  manner — cutting  the  wool  ofl"  short  and  smooth,  on  and 
among  the  multitude  of  folds  and  wriidvles — was  fully  equivalent  to  shear- 
ing fifteen  ordinary  Merino  rams,  or  twenty-five  ewes — that  is  to  say,  a 
day's  work  for  one  man.  And  none  but  a  skillful  shearer  couhl,  with  any 
time  given  him,  clip  the  wool  short  and  smooth  am(<ng  the  wrinkles,  with- 
out fre<juently  and  severely  cutting  the  skin.  A  smoothly  drawn  skin,  and 
absence  of  all  dewlaj),  on  the  other  hand,  would  not,  perhaps,  be  desirable. 

The  wool  t)f  the  Merino  should  densely  cover  the  whole  body,  where  it 
can  possibly  grow,  from  a  point  between  and  a  little  below  the  eyes,  and 
well  up  on  the  cheeks,  to  the  knees  and  hocks.  Short  wool  may  show, 
particularly  in  young  animals,  on  the  legs,  even  below  the  knees  and 
hocks — but  long  wool  covering  the  legs,  and  on  the  nose  below  the 
eyes,  is  unsightly — without  value — and  on  the  faces  it  frequently  impedes 
the  sight  of  the  animal,  causing  it  to  be  in  a  state  of  perpetual  alann, 
and  disqualifying  it  to  escape  real  danger.  Neither  is  this  useless  wool, 
as  seems  to  be  thought  by  some,  the  slightest  indication  of  a  heavy  fleece. 
I  have  as  often  seen  it  on  Saxons  scarcely  shearing  2  lbs.  of  wool,  and  on 
the  very  lightest  fleeced  Merinos. 

The  amount  of  gum  which  the  wool  should  exhibit,  is  another  of  the 
mooted  points.  Here,  as  in  many  other  particulars,  experience  has 
changed  my  earlier  impressions.  Merino  wool  should  be  volky  or  "  oily," 
prior  to  washing — though  not  to  that  extreme  extent,  giving  it  the  ap- 
pearance of  being  saturated  with  grease,  occasionally  witnessed.  The 
extreme  tips  of  the  wool  may  exhibit  a  suflicient  trace  of  gum  to  give  the 
fleece  a  darkish  cast — particularly  in  the  ram — but  a  black,  pitchy  gum, 
resembling  semi-hardened  tar,  extending  an  eighth  or  a  cjuarter  of  an  inch 
into  the  fleece,  and  which  cannot  he  removed  in  ordinary  washing,  is,  in  my 
opinion,  decidedly  objectionable.  There  is  a  white  or  yellowish  concrete 
gum,  not  removable  by  common  washing,  which  appears  in  the  interior  of 
some  fleeces,  which  is  equally  objectionable. 

The  weight  of  fleece  remaining  the  same,  medium  length  of  staple,  vnth 
compactness,  is  preferable  to  long,  open  wool,  inasmuch  as  it  constitutes 
a  better  safeguard  from  inclemencies  of  weather,  and  better  protects  the 
sheep  from  the  bad  effects  of  cold  and  drenching  rains  in  spring  and  fall. 
The  wool  should  be  as  nearly  as  possible  of  even  length  and  thickness 
over  the  whole  body.  Shortness  on  the  flank,  and  shortness  or  thinness 
on  the  belly,  are  serious  defects. 

"  Evenness  of  fleece  "  is  a  point  of  the  first  importance.  Many  sheep 
exhibit  good  wool  on  the  shoulder  and  side,  while  it  is  far  coarser  and 
even  hairy  on  the  thighs,  dewlap,  &c.  Rams  of  this  stamp  should  not  be 
bred  from  by  any  one  aiming  to  establish  a  su})erior  fine-wooled  flock,  and 
all  such  ewes  should  be  gradually  excluded  from  those  selected  for 
breeding. 

The  "style   of  the  wool"  is  a  point  of  as  much  consequence  as  mere 

•  "  Practical  ObiorTadoaa  on  ihe  ImproTement  of  Briii«h  Fine  Wools,  4.c."  by  the  aboTC,  18iM. 


168  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

fineness.  Some  very  fine  wool  is  stiff  and  the  fibres  almost  straifjht,  like 
hair.  It  has  a  dry,  cottony  look.  This  is  a  poor,  unsalable  article,  how- 
ever fine  the  fibre.  Softness  of  wool — a  delicate,  silky,  highly  elastic  feel, 
between  the  fingei'S  or  on  the  lips,  is  the  first  thing  to  look  after.  This  is 
usually  an  index,  or  inseparable  attendant,  of  the  other  good  qualities,  so 
that  an  experienced  judge  can  decide,  with  little  difficulty,  between  the 
quality  of  two  fleeces,  in  the  dark  !  Wool  should  be  finely  serrated  or 
crimped  from  one  extremity  to  the  othei" — ^.  e.,  it  should  present  a  regular 
series  of  minute  curves,  and,  generally,  the  greater  the  number  of  these 
curves  in  a  given  length,  the  higher  the  quality  of  wool  in  all  other 
particulars.  The  wool  should  open  on  the  back  of  the  sheep  in  connected 
masses,  instead  of  breaking  up  into  little  round  spiral  ringlets  of  the  size 
of  a  pipe-stem,  which  indicate  thinness  of  fleece  ;  and  when  the  wool  is 
pressed  open  each  way  with  the  hands,  it  should  be  dense  enough  to  con- 
ceal all  but  a  delicate  rose-colored  line  of  skin.  The  interior  of  the  wool 
should  be  a  pure,  glittering  white,  with  a  lustre  and  "liveliness  "  of  look 
not  surpassed  in  the  best  silk. 

The  points  in  the  form  of  the  Merino  which  the  breeder  is  called  upon 
particularly  to  eschew,  are — a  long,  thin  head,  narrow  between  the  eyes — 
a  thin,  long  neck,  arching  downward  before  the  shoulders — bad  crops — 
back  falling  behind  the  shoulders — naiTow  loin — flat  ribs — steep,  narrow 
hind  quarters — long  legs — thighs  scarcely  meeting  at  all — legs  drawn  far 
under  the  body  at  the  least  approach  of  cold.  All  these  points  were  sep- 
arately or  conjointly  illustrated  in  many  of  the  Saxon  flocks  which  have 
been  recently  swept  from  the  country.  The  points  to  be  avoided  in  the 
fleece  have  been  sufficiently  adverted  to. 

Having  thus  attempted  to  establish  a  standard  for  the  INIei-ino-breeder, 
it  remains  that  we  examine  some  of  the  most  important  principles,  in 
breeding,  by  which  that  standard  is  to  be  reached  or  maintained. 

The  first  great  starting-point,  among  pure-blood  animals,  is  that  "like 
will  beget  like."  If  the  sire  and  dam  are  perfect  in  any  given  point,  the 
oflPspring  will  generally  be  ;  if  either  is  defective,  the  offspring  will  (sub- 
ject to  a  law  presently  to  be  adverted  to)  be  half  way  between  the  two; 
if  both  are  defective  in  the  same  point,  the  progeny  will  be  more  so  than 
either  of  its  parents — it  will  inherit  the  amount  of  the  defect  in  both  pa- 
rents added  together.  There  are  exceedingly  few  perfect  animals.  Breed- 
ing, then,  is  a  system  of  counterbalancing — breeding  out — in  the  offspring, 
the  defects  of  one  parent,  by  the  marked  excellence  of  the  other  parent, 
in  the  same  foints.  The  highest  blood  confers  on  the  parent  possessing  it 
the  greatest  power  of  stamping  its  own  characteristics  on  its  progeny  ;  but 
blood  being  the  same,  the  male  sheep  possesses  this  power  in  a  greater 
degi-ee  than  the  female.  We  may,  therefore,  in  the  beginning,  breed 
from  ewes  possessing  any  defects  short  of  cardinal  ones,  without  impro- 
priety, provided  we  possess  the  proper  ram  for  that  purpose  ;  but  the 
flockmaster,  aiming  at  a  high  standard  of  quality,  should  gradually  throw 
out  from  breeding  all  ewes  possessing  even  considerable  defects.  Every 
year  should  make  him  more  rigorous  in  his  selection.  But  from  the  be- 
ginning— and  in  the  beginning  more  than  at  any  other  time — the  greatest 
care  should  be  evinced  in  the  selection  of  the  ram.  If  he  has  a  defect, 
that  defect  is  to  be  inherited  by  the  whole  future  flock.  If  it  is  a  material 
one,  as,  for  example,  a  hollow  back,  bad  crops,  a  thin  fleece,  or  a  highly 
uneven  fleece,  the  flock  will  be  one  of  low  quality  and  little  value.  If",  on 
the  other  hand,  he  is  perfect,  the  defects  in  the  females  will  be  lessened, 
and  tjradually  bi-ed  out.  But  it  being  difficult  to  ^wiS.  perfect  rams,  we  are 
to  take  those  wliich  have  the  fewest  and  hghtest  defects,  and  none  of 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  169 


these  materitil  ones,  like  those  just  enumerated.  And  these  defects  are  to 
be  met  Hiid  counterbahmced  by  the  decided  excellence  (sometimes  running 
to  a  fault)  oj'  the  eire,  in  the  same  points.  If  the  ram  is  a  little  too  long- 
legged,  the  shortest-legged  ewes  should  be  selected  for  him  ;  if  gummy, 
the  dryest-wooled  ewes;  if  his  fleece  is  a  trifle  below  the  proper  standard 
of  fineness,  (but  he  has  been  retained,  as  it  often  happens,  for  wt-ii^lit  of 
fleece  and  general  excellence,)  ho  is  to  be  put  to  the  finest  and  li<i:htest 
fleeced  ewes,  and  so  on.  Having  a  selection  of  rams,  this  system  of  coun- 
lerbalancini:^  would  recpiire  little  skill,  if  each  parent  possessed  but  one 
fault.  If  the  ewe  was  a  trifle  too  thin  fleeced,  and  good  in  all  other  par- 
ticulars, it  would  require  no  nice  ju<lgnient  to  decide  that  she  needed  to  be 
bred  to  an  uncommonly  thick-fleeced  ram.  But  most  animals  possess,  to 
a  greater  or  loss  degree,  several  defects.  To  select  so  that  every  one  of 
these  in  the  dam  shall  meet  its  opposite  in  the  male,  and  rice  versa,  re- 
quires not  only  plentiful  materials  to  select  from,  but  the  keenest  dis- 
crimination. The  time  and  the  convenient  method  of  selecting  the  ewes 
for  the  several  rams,  and  the  subsequent  management,  will  be  hereafter 
pointed  out. 

We  will  now  suppose  that  the  breeder  has  established  his  flock — that 
he  has  done  so  successfully,  and  sriven  them  an  excellent  character.  He 
is  soon  met  with  a  serious  evil.  He  must  "  breed  in-and-in,''  as  it  is  called 
— that  is,  interbreed  between  animals  more  or  less  nearly  related  in  blood 
— or  he  must  seek  rains  from  other  flocks,  to  the  risk  of  losing  or  changing 
the  distinctive  character  of  his  flock,  hitherto  sought  so  sedulously,  and 
built  up  with  so  much  care.  It  is  contended  by  the  opponents  of  in-and-in 
breeding  that  it  renders  diseases  and  all  other  defects  hereditary,  and  that 
it  tends  to  decrease  of  size,  to  debility,  and  a  jjeneral  breaking  up  of  the 
constitution.  Its  apologists,  on  the  other  hand,  insist  that,  if  the  parents 
are  perfectly  healthy,  incestuous  connexion  does  not,  per  se,  tend  to  any 
diminution  of  healthiness  in  the  offspring  ;  and  they  also  claim,  what  must 
be  conceded,  that  it  enables  the  skillful  breeder  much  more  rapidly  to 
bring  his  flock  to  a  particular  standard  or  model — and  much  more  easily 
to  keep  it  there — unless  it  be  true  that,  in  course  of  timq,  they  will  dwin- 
dle and  grow  feeble.  So  far  as  the  effect  on  the  constitution  is  concerned, 
both  positions  jnaj/  be,  to  a  certain  extent,  true.  But  it  is,  perhaps,  diffi- 
cult to  always  decide  with  certainty  when  an  animal  is  not  only  free  from 
disease,  but  from  all  tendency  or  predisposition  toward  it,  A  brother  and 
sister  may  be  apparently  healthy — may  be  actually  so — but  may  possess 
an  idiosyncrasy  which,  under  certain  circumstances,  will  manifest  itself. — 
If  these  circumstances  do  not  chance  to  occur,  they  may  live,  apparently 
possessing  a  robust  constitution,  until  old  age.  If  bred  together,  their  off- 
spring, by  a  rule  already  laid  down,  will  possess  the  idiosyncrasy  in  a 
double  degree.  Suppose  the  ram  be  interbred  with  sisters,  half-sisters, 
daughters,  srrand-dautjhters,  &c.,  fl )r  several  generations,  the  predisposition 
toward  a  particular  disease — in  the  first  place  slight,  now  strong,  and  con- 
stantly growinof  stronger — will  pervade,  and  become  radically  incorporated 
into,  the  constitution  of  the  whole  flock.  The  first  time  the  requisite  ex- 
citing causes  are  brought  to  bear,  the  disease  breaks  out,  and,  under  such 
circumstances,  with  peculiar  severity  and  malig-nancy.  If  it  be  of  a  fatal 
character,  the  flock  is  rapidly  swept  away ;  if  not,  it  becomes  chronic,  or 
periodical  at  frequently  recurring  intervals.  The  same  remarks  ap]>ly,  in 
part,  to  those  defects  of  the  outward  form  which  do  not  at  first,  from  their 
sliijhtness,  attract  the  notice  of  the  ordinary  breeder.  They  are  rapidly 
increased  until,  almost  before  thougfht  of  by  the  owner,  they  destroy  the 
value  of  the  sheep.     That  such  are  the  mmmon  effects  of  in-and-in  breed- 

Y 


170  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

ing,  with  such  skill  as  it  is  ordinarily  conducted,  all  know  who  have  given 
attention  to  the  subject ;  and  for  these  reasons  the  system  is  looked  upon 
with  decided  disapprobation  and  repugnance,  as  ainong  all  kinds  of  domes- 
tic animals,  by  nine  out  of  ten  of  the  best  jiractical  farmers  of  the  Northern 
States. 

How,  then,  shall  the  sheep-breeder  avoid  the  effects  of  in-and-in  breed- 
ing, and  at  the  same  time  preserve  the  character  of  his  flock  1  He  should 
do  so  by  seeking  rams  of  the  same  breed,  and  possessing,  as  nearly  as  j)Os- 
sihle,  the  characteristics  which  he  wishes  to  preserve  in  his  ownjlock.  If  the 
latter  rule  is  neglected — if  he  draws  indiscriminately  from  all  the  different 
families  or  varieties  of  a  breed — some  large  and  some  small — some  lono- 
and  some  sliort-wooled — some  medium  and  some  superfine  in  quality — 
some  tall  and  some  squabby — some  crusted  over  with  black  gum,  some 
entirely  free  from  it,  &c.  &c. — breeding  will  become  a  mere  hotch-potch, 
and  no  certain  or  uniform  results  can  be  looked  for.  So  many  varieties 
cannot  be  fused  into  one,  for  a  number  of  generations  ;*  and  it  not  unfre- 
quently  happens,  as  between  the  different  classes  of  Saxons  alluded  to  by 
Mr.  Spooner.t  that  certain  families  can  never  be  successfully  amalgamated. 

But  suppose  the  breeder  has  reached  no  satisfactory  standard — that  his 
sheep  are  deficient  in  the  requisites  he  desires  ?  If  the  desired  requisites 
are  characteristic  of  the  breed  he  possesses,  he  is  to  adhere  to  the  breed,  and 
select  better  animals  to  improve  his  own  inferior  ones.  If  he  has  an  infe- 
rior flock  of  South-Downs,  and  wishes  to  obtain  the  qualities  of  the  best 
South  Dams,  he  should  seek  for  the  best  rams  of  that  breed.  But  if  he 
wishes  to  obtain  qualities  not  characteristic  of  the  breed  he  possesses,  he 
must  cross  toith  a  breed  which  does  jfosscss  them.  If  the  possessor  of  South- 
Downs  wishes  to  convert  them  into  a  fine-wooled  sheep  similar  to  the  Me- 
rino, he  should  cross  his  flock  steadily  with  Merino  rams — constantly  in- 
creasing the  amount  of  Merino  and  diminishing  the  amount  of  South-Down 
blood.  To  effect  the  same  result,  he  would  take  the  same  course  with  the 
common  sheep  of  the  country,  or  any  other  coarse-race.  There  are 
those  who,  forgetful  that  some  of  the  finest  varieties  now  in  existence,  of 
sevei'al  kinds  of  domestic  animals,  are  the  result  of  crosses,  bitterly  inveigh 
against  the  practice  of  crossing,  under  any  and  all  circumstances.  As  fre- 
quently conducted,  where  objects  incompatible  with  each  other  are  sought 
to  be  attained — as,  for  example,  an  attempt  to  unite  the  fleece  of  a  Merino 
and  the  carcass  of  a  Leicester,  by  crosses  between  those  breeds — it  is  an 
unqualified  absurdity.  But  under  the  limitations  already  laid  down,  and 
with  the  objects  specified  as  legitimate  ones,  objection  to  crossing  savors, 
in  my  judgment,  of  prejudice  the  most  profound,  or  quackery  the  most 
unvarnished.  The  cry,  "  buy  full-bloods,"  with  such  men,  generally  means, 
"  buy  our  full-bloods  !  "  It  is  neither  convenient,  nor  within  the  means  of 
every  man  wishing  to  start  a  flock  of  sheep,  to  start  exclusively  with  full- 
bloods.  With  a  few  full-bloods  to  breed  rams  from,  and  to  begin  a  full- 
blood  flock,  the  Southern  breeder  will  find  it  his  best  policy  to  purchase 
the  best  common  sheep  of  his  country,  and  gradually  grade  them  up  with 
Merino  rams.  In  selecting  the  ewes,  fair  size,  good  shape,  and  a  robust 
constitution,  are  the  main  points — the  little  difference  that  exists  between 
the  qualify  of  the  common  sheep's  wool  is  of  no  consequence.  For  their 
•wool  they  are  to  look  to  the  Merino ;  but  good  form  and  constitution  they 
can  and  ought  to  possess,  so  as  not  to  entail  deep-rooted  and  entirely  un- 
necessary evils  on' their  progeny. 

*  This  occawnna  (he  want  of  uniformity  in  the  Rambouillet  flock  in  France,  which  was  begun  by  a  pro- 
mi»ruou8  adniiNlure  of  all  the  Spauisb  families. 
t  Quoted  in  Lett4;r  X. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  171 


I  have  already  spoken,  in  this  Letter,  inriduntally,  of  the  effect  on  the 
fleece  of  the  common  sheep,  by  crossing  with  tlie  Merino  and  Ijreedinff 
steadily  toward  the  latter ;  and  also  of  the  mutton  of  this  cross,  u» 
well  as  that  of  the  Merino  and  the  English  breeds.  The  result  of 
the  cross  with  the  common  sheep  has  been  sufliciently  described.  1  would 
add  a  few  remarks  in  relation  to  that  with  the  South-Down  and  Leicester 
— both  of  which  I  have  tried  until  sufliciently  satisfied  with  the  result. 
Resolved  on  makinij  an  experiment  with  a  Down  and  Merino  cross,  a  few 
years  since,  and  tinding  it  ditlicult  to  obtain  Down  ewes*  of  the  proper 
quality,  I  obtained  a  small,  compact,  exceedingly  beautiful,  fine  and  even- 
fleeced  Down  ram.t  aiul  crossed  him  with  a  few  large-sized  Merino  ewes. 
The  half-blood  ewes  were  bred  to  a  Merino  ram,  and  also  their  female 
progeny,  and  so  on.  The  South-Down  form  and  disjjosilion  to  take  on 
fat  manifested  itself,  to  a  perceptible  extent,  in  every  generation  which  I 
bred.J  and  the  wool  of  many  of  the  sheep  in  the  third  generation  (^^-blood 
Merino  and  ^-blood  Down)  was  .very  even,  and  equal  to  medium,  and 
some  of  them  to  good  medium  Merino.  Their  fleeces  were  lighter  than 
the  full-blood  Merino,  but  increased  in  weit^ht  with  each  succeedin"^  cross 
back  toward  the  latter.  Their  mutton  of  the  first,  and  even  the  second 
cross,  was  of  a  beautiful  flavor — and  it  retained  some  of  the  superiority  of 
South-Down  mutton  to  the  last. 

1  at  the  same  time  purchased  a  few  Leicester  ewes,||  and,  as  in  the 
preceding  case,  taking  one  cross  of  the  blood,  I  bred  toward  the  Merino. 
The  mongrels,  to  the  second  generation  (beyond  which  I  did  not  breed 
them)  were  about  midway  between  the  size  of  the  two  parent  stocks — 
with  wool  shorter,  but  far  finer  and  more  compact  than  the  Leicester — 
their  fleeces  about  the  same  in  weight  as  in  the  present  stocks§ — and  alto- 
gether they  were  a  showy  and  profitable  sheep,  and  well  calculated  to 
}»iease  the  mass  of  farmers.  Their  fleeces  lacked  crcmicss — their  thiijhs 
remaining  disproportionately  coarse  and  hairy  ;  and  making  up  my  mind 
that  this  would  always  be  a  tendency  of  the  sheep  of  this  cross,  I  aban- 
doned them  without  farther  experiment. 

In  relation  to  the  number  of  crosses  necessary  before  it  is  proper  to 
breed  from  a  mongi-el  ram,  there  is  a  difference  of  opinion.  Mr.  Livings- 
ton says  'S\ 

"  It  is  now  80  well  established  as  not  even  to  admit  of  the  smallest  donbt  that  a  Merino  in 
the  fourth  seneration.  from  even  the  worst-wooled  ewes,  is  iu  every  respect  eijiuil  to  the 
stock  of  the  sire.  No  diHerence  is  now  made  in  Ear()[)e  in  the  choice  of  a  ram,  whether  he 
is  a  full-blood  or  a  filteen-sixteeutlis."  ....  "  The  French  agriculturists  say  that  however 
coarse  the  fleece  of  the  parent  ewe  may  have  been,  the  j^rogeny  in  the  Iburth  generation 
will  not  show  it." 

I  am  constrained  to  differ  with  even  this  high  authority.  I  admit  that 
the  only  value  of  blood  or  pedigree,  in  breeding,  is  to  insure  the  hereditary 
transmission  of  the  properties  of  the  parent  to  the  offsprinq-.  As  soon  as 
a  mongrel  reaches  the  point  where  he  stamps  his  characteristics  on  his 
progeny,  with  the  same  certainty  that  a  full-blood  does,  he  is  equally 
valuable,  provided  he  is,  individually,  as  perfect  an  animal.     But  I  do'not 

*  To  carry  nut  the  commonly  receired  principle  in  breeding,  that  in  crossing  between  different  racrs  the 
ram  of  the  smaller  should  be  put  to  ewe  of  the  larger  one. 

t  This  ram.  obtained  from  Fnincis  Rotch,  Ksq  ,  was  got  by  a  pri2e  ram  of  Mr.  Ellman's.  and  from  one  of 
his  choicest  breedinc-ewes.  and  showed  infinitely  more  style,  as  well  as  fint- ness  and  evenness  of  wool, 
than  the  common  Downs  of  our  country.     He  was  not  larger  than  a  larce-sized  Menno  mm. 

I  These  I  finally  put  otl'to  save  myself  the  trouble  of  brt'editic  several  kinds  of  sheep  on  the  same  fsrm. 

M  Descended  from  the  flock  of  the  late  Robert  Adcock.  of  Otsego  County,  N.  Y. — considered  at  the  time 
e<|ual  to  any  flock  in  the  State. 

&  That  is,  about  5  lbs.  I  have  put  down  the  Leicester  fleece,  in  my  description  of  the  breed,  »t  6  lbs.,  aj 
this  Is  the  amount  generally  claimed  fur  them  :  but  in  the  few  cases  broucht  within  my  direct  knowledge, 
they  have  never  averai^ed  it.    .M v  gwes  above  alluded  to  did  not,  i  ihiak,  average  quite  i  lbs. 

1  fUgay  on  dheep,  pp.  191, 183. 


172  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

believe  that  this  can  be  depended  upon,  with  any  certainty,  in  rams  of  the 
fourth  Merino  ci-oss.  My  only  experience  in  this  particular  is  in  the  ob- 
servation of  other  men's  flocks  who  have  bred  with  high-grade  rams.* 
These  have  invariably  lacked  the  style  and  perfection  of  thorough-bred 
flocks.  The  sixth,  seventh,  or  eighth  cross  might  be  generally,  and  the 
last  perhaps  almost  invariably,  as  good  as  pure-blood  rams,  but  I  confess 
I  should  still  prefer  to  adhere  to  the  latter.  Pure  blood  is  a  flxed  stand- 
ard, and  were  every  breeder  to  think  himself  at  liberty  to  depart  from  it, 
in  his  rams,  each  one  more  or  less,  according  to  his  own  judgment  or 
capi-ice,  the  whole  blood  of  the  country  would  become  adulterated.  No 
man  would  be  authorized  to  sell  a  ram  of  any  cross,  be  it  the  tenth,  or 
even  the  twentieth,  as  a  full-blood. 

It  is  all-important  for  those  commencing  flocks  either  of  full-bloods,  or 
by  crossing,  to  select  the  choicest  rams.  A  grown  ram  may  be  made  to 
serve  II  from  100  to  150  ewes  in  a  season.  A  good  Merino  ram  will, 
speaking  within  bounds,  add  more  than  a  pound  of  wool  to  the  fleece  of 
the  dam,  on  every  lamb  got  by  it,  fi'om  a  common-wooled  ewe.§  Here  is 
one  hundred  or  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  of  wool  for  the  use  of  a 
ram  for  a  single  season  !  And  every  lamb  subsequently  got  by  him  adds  a 
pound  to  this  amount.  Many  a  ram  gets,  during  his  life,  800  or  1,000 
lambs  !  Nor  is  the  extra  amount  of  wool  all.  He  gets  from  800  to  1,000 
half-blooded  sheep,  worth  double  their  dams,  and  ready  to  be  made  the 
basis  of  another  and  higher  stride  in  improvement.  A  good  ram,  then,  is 
as  important,  and,  it  seems  to  me,  quite  as  vahiable  an  animal  as  a  good 
farm-horse  stallion  !  When  the  number  of  a  ram's  progeny  are  taken  into 
consideration,  and  when  it  is  seen  over  what  an  immense  extent,  even  in 
his  own  direct  offspring,  his  good  or  bad  qualities  are  to  be  perpetuated, 
the  folly  of  that  economy  which  would  select  an  inferior  one  is  sufficiently 
obvious. 

Every  one  desirous  of  starting  a  flock  will  find  it  his  best  economy, 
where  the  proper  flocks  to  draw  rams  from  are  not  near  him,  to  purchase 
several  of  the  same  breed,  of  course,  but  o^  different  strains  of  blood.  Thus, 
ram  No.  2  can  be  put  on  the  offspring  of  No.  1,  and  vice  versa;  No.  3  can 
be  put  upon  the  offspring  of  both,  and  both  upon  the  offspring  of  No,  3. 
The  changes  which  can  be  rung  on  three  distinct  strains  of  blood,  without 
in-and-in  breeding  close  enough  to  be  attended  with  any  considerable  dan- 
ger, are  innumerable.^  But  if  these  rams  of  different  strains  are  bought 
promiscuously,  without  reference  to  similarity  of  characteristics,  there 
may,  and  probably  will  be  diff"erences  between  them,  and  it  might  require 
time  and  skill  to  give  a  flock  descended  from  them,  a  proper  uniformity  of 
character.  Those  who  breed  rams  for  sale  should  be  prepared  to  furnish 
different  strains  of  blood  with  the  necessary  individual  and  family  uni 
formity, 

*  I  have  never  knowingly  bred  with  any  other  ram  than  a  pure-blood,  of  any  atock,  or  for  any  purpose. 

n  By  infthodp  hereafter  to  be  described. 

§  That  18,  if  the  ewe  at  3  years  old  sheared  3  lbs,  of  wool,  the  lamb  at  the  same  age  will  shear  4  lbs.  of 
wool. 

^  The  brother  and  sister  are  of  the  e<iwic  blood ;  the  father  and  dauchter,  half;  the  fnfher  and  grand- 
daughter, one-fourth  ;  the  father  and  great  grand-daughter,  one-eighth,  and  so  on.  Breeding  between  an- 
imals possessing  oiie-eiphth  of  the  same  blood,  would  not  be  considered  very  close  breeding  ;  and  it  is  no* 
uncustomary,  in  rugged,  well-formed  families,  to  breed  between  those  poBseBsing  one-fourth  of  the  same 
blood. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  173 


LETTER  XII. 

SUMMER  MANAGEMENT  OF  SHEEP. 


TaCiTins — necessity  of— method  of  doing  it. . . Burs — how  sroided.. . Lnmliing — time  nf— Inclostires  for— 
Mechanical  Assiatancu — when  rendered — assiaUDi;  the  Lamb — Feeding — necessary  euro  in— Warming— 
Foster  Kwes..  .I'eus. .  .•'  I'lniiini;  ". .  .Nuinl>ering  iiiul  lU'tisterina — iidvHiiia:;ts  of — Vun  Thiicr's  .■System  of 
Numlieriii:; — manner  of  doin^'  it  conveniently — Mr.  Grove's  fonn  of  n  Kecisler. .  .Ciistriition  and  iJocltinR 
— jiroper  time  and  method..  .Waeliing— time— necessary  apimratus — "welling" — miinner  of  washing — 
ordinary  wiufie  in  sulisegiient  cleansing..  Cutting  the  Hoof^- — best  linte — inipU.inLniJi — nietliod..  .Time 
between  Wa-ohini;  and  Shearinij. .  ..'-hearini: — proper  conveniences  for— catcher's  business— niirections  to 
■bearer — general  directions. .. shearing  Lambs — sliearing  Sheep  eemi-aiipually — ubjeclionable  practices... 
Doing  up  Wool — Wool  Table  and  TmUiih — handling  fleece — arraiimnieiit  <in  table — foldini: — rolling— ty- 
ing— proper  twine..  .Storins  Wool — Wool-Room.,  .fiackinc  Wool — methods. ... "Porting  the  Flock  at  shear, 
ing— now  done...  Marking  ^heep— the  proper  way..  .Cola  ^^torms  after  ^-hearing.,  .t-un-fcald. .  .I'icks — 
bow  destroyed..  .Mai;Kot.« — preventives..  .Cutting  the   Horns.  ..Division  of  Flocks  for  Summer. .  .Hop- 

fline — Clocgini;,  &c. .  .Danaerous  Uanis..  .Fences... tialt..  .Tar... Wntcr... Shade... Weaning  Lambs... 
•U  Feeding. ..Shepherd's  Crook. 

Dear  Sir  :  Agreeably  to  your  request,  and  that  of  various  other  South- 
ern friends,  I  proceed  to  give  directions  for  the  practical  management  of 
sheep  "  plain  and  minute  enough  for  the  guidance  of  those  entirely  unac- 
quainted with  the  subject."     I  will  begin  with  their  Summer  Management.* 

Tagging. — If  sheep  are  kept  on  dry  feed  through  the  Avinter,  they  will 
usually  purge  more  or  less,  when  let  out  to  green  feed  in  the  spring.  The 
wool  around  and  below  the  anus  becomes  saturated  with  dung,  which 
forms  into  hard  pellets,  if  the  purging  ceases.  But  whether  this  takes 
place  or  not,  the  adhering  dun^  cannot  be  removed  from  the  wool  in  the 
ordinary  process  of  washing.^  ^t  forms  a  great  impediment  in  shearing, 
dulling  and  straining  the  shears  to  cut  throufjh  it  when  in  a  dry  state,  and 
it  is  often  impracticable  so  to  do.  It  is  difficult  to  force  the  shears  be- 
tween it  and  the  skin,  without  frequently  and  severely  woundinv:  the  latter. 
Occasionally,  too,  flies  deposit  their  eggs  under  this  mass  of  filth  prior  to 
shearing,  and  the  ensuing  swarm  of  maggots,  unless  speedily  discovered 
and  removed,  will  lead  the  sheep  to  a  miserable  death. 

Before  sheep  are  let  out  to  grass,  each  one  should  have  the  wool  sheared 
from  the  roots  of  the  tail  down  the  inside  of  the  thighs, 
over  the  surface   included  between  the  dotted  lines  in  ^'"  ''^• 

the  cut.  The  wool  should  be  slieared  from  off"  the  en- 
tire bag  of  the  ewe,  that  the  newly  dropped  lamb  may 
more  readily  find  the  teat,  and  from  the  scrotum,  and 
so  much  space  round  the  point  of  the  sheath  of  the  ram, 
as  is  usually  kept  wet.  If  the  latter  place  is  neglected, 
soreness  and  ulceration  sometimes  ensue  from  the  con- 
stant maceration  of  the  uiine. 

Sometimes  each  tagger  catches  and  holds  his  own 
sheep,  but  it  is,  on  the  whole,  better,  I  think,  to  have  an  assistant  catch  the 
sheep  and  hold  them  while  they  are  tagged.  The  latter  process  retiuires 
a  good  shearer,  as  the  wool  must  be  cut  off  closely  and  smoothly,  or  the 
object  is  but  half  accomplished,  and  the  sheep  will  have  an  un-sightly  and 
ridiculous   appearance,  when  the  remainder  of  their  fleeces  is  taken  off; 


*  I  have  not  ttaoncht  it  necesf'ary  to  mark  with  quotation  points,  various  extracts  in  this  Letter, 
eries  of  Letters  written  by  me  a  number  of  years  since,  and  published  in  the  "  Valley  Farmer." 


from  a 


174  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

and,  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  not  only  improper  to  cut  the  skin  of  a  sheep 
at  any  time,  but  it  is  peculiarly  so  to  cut  that  on  the  bag  of  an  ewe  near 
lambing.  The  wool  saved  by  tagging  will  far  more  than  pay  the  ex- 
penses of  the  operation.  It  answers  well  for  stockings  and  other  ordinary 
domestic  purposes,  or  it  will  sell  for  something  like  half  the  price  of  fleece 
wool. 

Humanity  and  economy  both  dictate  that  care  should  be  taken  in  han- 
dling sheep  at  all  times,  and  it  is  especially  important  with  ewes  heavy 
with  lamb.  It  is  highly  injurious  and  unsafe  lo  chase  them  about  and  han- 
dle them  roughly,  for  even  if  abortion,  the  worst  consequence  of  such 
treatment,  is  avoided,  they  become  timid  and  shy  of  being  touched,  render- 
ing it  difficult  to  catch  or  render  them  assistance  at  the  lambing  period — 
and  even  a  matter  of  difficulty  to  enter  the  cotes  where  it  is  sometimes 
necessary  to  confine  them  at  that  time,  without  having  them  driving  about 
pell-mell,  running  over  their  lambs,  &c.  It  may  not  be  known  to  every 
one,  that  if  a  sheep  is  suddenly  caught  by  the  wool  when  running,  or  is 
lifted  by  its  wool,  the  skin  is  to  a  certain  extent  loosened  from  the  body 
at  the  points  where  it  is  thus  seized,  and  if  killed  a  day  or  two  afterward, 
blood  will  be  found  settled  about  those  parts.  A  man  knowing  this,  and 
subsequently  guilty  of  such  gratuitous  brutality,  richly  deserves  to  be 
kicked  out  of  the  sheep-yard.  When  sheep  are  to  be  handled,  they  should 
be  inclosed  in  a  yard  just  large  enough  to  hold  them  Avithout  their  beino- 
crowded — so  they  shall  have  no  chance  to  ran  and  dash  about.  The 
catcher  should  stop  them  by  seizing  them  by  the  hind  leg  close  above  the 
hock,  or  by  clapping  one  hand  before  the  neck  and  the  other  behind  the 
buttocks.  Then,  not  waiting  for  the  sheep  to  make  a  violent  struggle,  he 
should  throw  his  right  arm  over  and  about  it  immediately  back  of  the 
shoulders,  place  his  hand  under  the  brisket,  and  lift  the  animal  on  his  hip. 
If  the  sheep  is  very  heavy,  he  can  throw  both  arms  around  it,  clasp  his 
fingers  under  the  brisket,  and  lift  it  up  against  the  front  part  of  his  body. 
He  then  should  set  it  carefully  on  its  ru^mj^on  the  tagging-table,  (which 
should  be  18  or  20  inches  high,)  support  i^  back  with  his  legs,  and  hold 
it  gently  and  conveniently  until  the  tagger  has  performed  his  duty.  Two 
men  should  not  be  permitted  to  lift  the  same  sheep  together,  as  it  will  be 
pretty  sure  to  receive  some  strain  between  them.  A  good  shearer  and 
assistant  will  tag  200  sheep  per  day. 

Where  sheep  receive  green  feed  all  the  year  round,  as  they  will  do  in 
many  parts  of  the  South,  and  no  purging  ensues  froni  eating  the  newly- 
starting  grasses  in  the  spring,  tagging  will  not  be  necessary. 

Burs,  &c. — If  sheep  are  let  out  in  the  spring  into  pastures  where  the 
dry  stalks  of  the  Burdock  (Arctium  laj^pa),  or  the  Hound's  Tongue,  or 
Tory-weed  ( Cunoglossutn  officinale ) ,  have  remained  standing  over  the  ven- 
ter, the  burs  are  caught  in  their  now  long  wool,  and,  if  numerous,  the  wool 
is  rendered  entirely  unmarketable,  and  almost  valueless.  Even  the  dry 
prickles  of  the  common  and  Canada  thistles,  where  they  are  very  numer- 
ous, get  into  the  neck-wool  of  sheep,  as  they  thrust  their  heads  under  and 
among  them  to  crop  the  first  scarce  feed  of  the  Northern  spring  ;  and,  in- 
dependently of  injuring  the  wool,  they  make  it  difficult  to  wash  and  other- 
wise handle  the  sheep.  The  Burdock  being  a  large  and  not  very  frequent 
plant,  there  is  no  excuse  for  its  being  found  on  the  farm.  The  Hound's 
Tongue  is  very  prevalent  in  forests  and  partly  wooded  pastures  in  the 
North,  and  it  is  not  conspicuous  enough  to  be  easily  eradicated,  though 
careful  sheep-farmers  often  do  so.  If  sheep  are  let  into  pastures  contain- 
ing it,  it  must  be  only  iu  the  summer  and  fall,  after  shearing.     The  burs, 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  175 

not  sunk  so  tleoply  in  the  short  wool,  will  wear  out  during  our  winters — 
but  no  man  thinks  of  letting  his  sheep  into  pastures  containing  it,  before 
shearing  in  the  spring.  Indeed,  sheep  should  be  kept  on  the  cleanest  pas- 
tures— those  free  from  these  and  all  similar  plants — duiing  this  period; 
and,  in  a  region  where  they  are  pastured  the  year  round,  if  such  pests  are 
not  eradicated — which  /  should  consider  indispensable — the  sheep  should 
be  kept  from  contact  with  them  for  some  months  prior  to  shearing. 

Lambing. — Lambs  are  usually  dropped,  in  the  North,  from  the  first  to 
the  fifteenth  of  May.  In  the  South,  they  might  safely  come  earlier.  It  is 
not  expedient  to  have  them  dropped  when  the  weather  is  cold  and  boister- 
ous, as  they  require  too  much  care  ;  but  the  sooner  the  better,  after  the 
weather  has  become  mild,  and  the  herbage  has  started  sufficiently  to  give 
the  ewes  that  green  food  which  is  required  to  produce  a  plentiful  secretion 
of  milk.  It  is  customary  in  the  North  to  have  fields  of  clover,  or  the  earli- 
est grasses,  reserved  for  the  early  spring  feed  of  the  breeding  ewes;  and, 
if  these  can  be  contiguous  to  their  shelters,  it  is  a  gi-eat  convenience — for 
the  ewes  should  be  confined  in  the  latter,  on  cold  and  stormy  nights,  during 
the  lambing  season. 

If  warm  and  pleasant,  and  the  nights  are  warmish,  I  prefer  to  have  the 
lambing  take  place  in  the  pastures.  I  think  sheep  are  more  disposed  to 
owTi  and  take  kindly  to  their  lambs  thus,  than  in  the  confusion  of  a  small 
inclosure.  Unless  particularly  docile,  sheep  in  a  small  inclosure  crowd 
from  one  side  to  another  when  any  one  enters,  running  over  young  lambs, 
pressing  them  severely.  Sec.  Ewes  get  separated  from  their  lambs,  and 
then  run  violently  round  from  one  to  another,  jostling  and  knockin"-  them 
about.  Young  and  timid  ewes  get  separated  from  their  lambs,  and  fre- 
quently will  neoflect  them  for  an  hour  or  more  before  they  will  again  ap- 
proach them.  If  the  weather  is  severely  cold,  the  lamb,  if  it  has  never 
sucked,  stands  a  chance  to  perish.  Lambs,  too,  when  just  dropped,  in  a 
dirti/  inclosure,  in  their  first  efforts  to  rise,  tumble  about,  and  the  mem- 
brane which  adheres  to  them  becomes  smeared  with  dirt  and  duno^ — and 
the  ewe  refuses  to  lick  them  dry,  which  much  increases  the  hazard  of 
freezing. 

Nevertheless,  all  this  must  be  incuiTed  in  cold  storms,  and  in  sudden 
and  severe  weather ;  and,  therefore,  it  should  be  the  effort  of  every  shep- 
herd to  teach  his  sheep  docility.  I  have  seen  the  late  Mr.  Grove  walk 
about  a  barn  filled  with  his  Saxons,  not  only  without  their  crowding  from 
side  to  side,  but  many  of  them  absolutely  lying  still  while  he  stepped  over 
them  !  I  say  it  "  must  be  incuned."  I  mean  by  this  that  it  is  the  safest 
course  with  all  breeds,  and  a  matter  o?  necessity  with  others.  It  takes  but 
a  very  moderately  cold  night  to  destroy  the  new-born  Saxon  lamb,  which 
(the  pure  blood)  is  yeaned  nearly  as  naked  as  a  child  !  During  a  severely 
cold  period,  of  several  days'  continuance,  it  is  almost  impossible  to  rear 
them,  even  in  the  best  shelter.  The  Merino,  South-Down,  and  some  other 
breeds,  will  endure  a  greater  degree  of  cold  with  impunity. 

Inclosures,  when  used  for  yeaning,  should  be  kept  clean  by  frequent  lit- 
terinors  of  straw — not  enough,  however,  thrown  on  at  one  time,  to  embar- 
rass the  lamb  about  rising. 

The  ewe  does  not  often  require  mechanical  assistance  in  parturition. — 
Her  labors  will  sometimes  be  prolonged  for  three  or  four  hours,  and  her 
loud  meanings  will  evince  the  extent  of  her  pain.  Sometimes  she  will  go 
about  several  hours,  and  even  resume  her  grazing,  with  the  fore-feet  and 
nose  of  the  lamb  showincr  at  the  mouth  of  the  vagina.  But,  if  let  alone, 
Nature  will  generally  finally  relieve  her.     This   might  not  do  with  the 


176  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

heavy  English  breeds.  I  should  infer  not,  from  the  elaborate  directions, 
in  the  premises,  by  Youatt, Blacklock,  and  other  English  w:iters  on  Sheep; 
though  with  the  comparatively  small  number  of  these,  varieties  which  I 
have  bred,  I  hive  had  no  difficulty  in  this  particular.  Among  the  thou- 
sands and  thousands  of  fine-wooled  sheep  which  I  have  bred,  1  never  have 
known  a  single  instance  of  a  false  presentation  of  the  foitus,  and  never 
have  had  mechanical  assistance  rendered  in  to  exceed  half  a  dozen  in- 
stances. The  objection  to  interfering,  except  as  a  last  resort,  is  that  the 
ewe  is  frightened  when  caught,  and  her  eflbrts  to  expel  the  lamb  cease. — 
When  aided,  the  gentlest  force  should  be  applied,  and  only  in  conjunction 
with  the  efforts  of  the  ewe. 

AVhile  the  lamb  is  tumbling  about  and  attempting  to  rise,  and  the  ewe 
is  licking  it  dry,  it  is  better  to  be  in  no  haste  to  interfere.  A  lamb  that 
gets  at  the  teat  without  help,  and  gets  even  a  small  quantity  of  milk,  knows 
how  to  help  itself  afterward,  and  rarely  perishes.  If  helped,  it  sometimes 
continues  to  expect  it,  and  will  do  little  for  itself  for  two  or  three  days. — 
The  same  is  true  when  lambs  are  fed  from  a  spoon  or  bottle. 

But  if  the  lamb  ceases  to  make  efforts  to  rise,  particularly  if  the  ewe  has 
left  off  licking  it  while  it  is  wet  and  chilly,  it  is  time  for  the  shepherd  to 
render  his  assistance.  It  is  better  not  to  throw  the  ewe  down,  as  is  fre- 
quently practiced,  to  suckle  the  lamb,  because  instinct  teaches  the  latter  to 
point  its  nose  upward  in  search  of  the  teat.  It  is  doubly  difficult,  there- 
fore, to  induce  it  to  suck  from  the  bag  of  the  prostrate  ewe ;  and  when 
taught  to  do  this,  by  being  suckled  so  several  times,  I  have  invariably  no- 
ticed that  it  renders  it  awkward  about  finding  the  teat  in  the  natural  posi- 
tion, when  it  begins  to  stand  and  help  itself.  Nothing  is  stupider  than  a 
weakly  lamb  !  Carefully  disengaging  the  ewe  from  her  companions,  with 
his  crooJv,  the  assistant  should  place  one  hand  before  the  neck  and  the  other 
behind  the  buttocks  of  the  ewe,  and,  then  pressing  her  against  his  knees, 
he  should  hold  her  firmly  and  stilly,  so  that  she  shall  not  be  constantly 
crowding  away  from  the  shepherd.  The  shepherd  should  set  the  lamb  on 
its  feet,  inducing  it  to  stand,  if  possible  ;  if  not,  supporting  it  on  its  feet  by 
placing  one  hand  under  its  body — place  its  mouth  to  the  teat,  and  encour- 
age it  to  suck  by  tickling  it  about  the  roots  of  the  tail,  flanks,  &c.,  with  a 
finger.  The  lamb,  mistaking  this  last  for  the  caresses  of  its  dam,  will  re- 
double its  efforts  to  suck.  Sometimes  it  will  evince  great  dullness,  and 
even  apparent  obstinacy,  in  refusing  for  a  long  time  to  attempt  to  assist 
itself,  crowding  backward,  &c. ;  but  the  kind  and  gentle  shepherd,  who 
will  not  sink  himself  to  the  level  of  a  brute  by  resenting  the  stuj)iditij  of  a 
brute,  will  generally  carry  the  point  by  perseverance.  Sometimes  milking 
a  little  into  the  lamb's  mouth,  holding  the  latter  close  to  the  teat,  will  in- 
duce it  to  take  hold. 

If  the  ewe  has  no  milk,  the  lamb  should  be  fed  until  the  natural  supply 
commences,  with  small  quantities  of  the  milk  of  a  nciv-milch.  cow.  This 
should  be  mixed,  say  half  and  half,  with  water — with  enough  molasses  to 
give  it  the  purgative  effect  of  biestings,  or  the  first  milk — gently  warmed 
to  the  natural  heat  (not  scalded  and  suffered  to  cool),  and  then  fed  through 
a  bottle  with  a  sponge  in  the  opening  of  it,  which  the  lamb  should  such, 
if  it  can  be  induced  so  to  do.  If  the  milk  is  poured  in  its  mouth  from  a 
spoon  or  bottle,  as  already  remarked,  it  is  frequently  difficult  afterward  to 
mduce  it  to  suck.  And,  moreover,  unless  milk  is  poured  in  the  mouth 
slowly  and  with  care — no  faster  than  the  lamb  can  swallow — a  speedy 
wheezing,  the  infallible  precursor  of  death,  will  show  that  a  portion  of  the 
fluid  has  been  forced  into  the  lungs.  I  have  known  lambs  frequently 
killed  in  this  way. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  177 

It' a  lamb  becomes  chilled,  it  should  be  wrapped  up  in  a  woolen  blanket, 
and  placed  in  a  warm  room — K'vinu;  a  little  milk  as  soon  as  it  will  swal- 
low. A  trifle  of  pepper  is  scmietimes  placed  in  the  milk,  and  1  think  with 
good  eftect,  to  nmsetho  cold  and  torpid  stomach  into  action.  Some  of  the 
xanhce  old  ladies,  under  such  circumstances,  "  bake  "  the  lamb,  as  it  is 
called — i.  e.,  put  it  in  a  blanket  in  a  moderately  heated  oven,  until 
warmth  and  animation  are  restored.  Others  immerse  it  in  tepid  water, 
and  subsecjuently  rub  it  dry.  This  is  said  to  be  an  excellent  method 
where  the  lamb  is  nearly  frozen.  1  never  have  tried  it.  A  good  blanket, 
a  warm  room,  and  sometimes,  perhaps,  a  little  gentle  friction,  have  always 
Bufficed. 

If  a  strong  ewe,  with  a  good  bag  of  milk,  chances  to  lose  her  lamb,  sho 
should  be  recjuired  to  bring  up  one  of  some  other  ewe's  pair  of  twins — or 
the  lamb  of  some  feeble  or  young  ewe,  having  an  inadequate  supply  of 
milk.  Her  own  lamb  should  be  skinned,  as  soon  as  possible  after  death, 
and  the  skin  sowed  over  the  lamb  which  she  is  required  to  foster.  She 
will  sometimes  be  a  little  suspicious  for  a  day  or  two,  and  if  so,  she  should 
be  kept  in  a  small  pen  with  the  lamb,  being  occasionally  looked  to.  After 
taking  well  to  it,  the  false  skin  may  be  removed  in  three  or  four  days.  If 
no  lamb  is  placed  on  a  ewe  which  has  lost  her  lamb,  and  which  has  a 
full  bag  of  milk,  the  milk  should  be  drawn  from  the  bag  once  or  twice,  or 
garget  may  ensue.  If  it  does  not,  permanent  indurations,  or  other  re- 
sults of  inflammatory  action  will  often  take  place,  injuring  the  subsequent 
nursing  propeities  of  the  animal.  When  milked,  it  is  well  to  wash  the 
bag  for  some  time  in  cold  water.  It  checks  the  subsequent  secretions  of 
milk,  as  well  as  abates  inflammation.  Garget  will  be  treated  under  the 
head  of  Diseases  of  Sheep. 

Sometimes  a  young  ewe,  though  exhibiting  sufficient  fondness  for  hei 
lamb,  will  not  stand  for  it  to  suck  ;  and  in  this  case,  if  the  lamb  is  not  very 
strong  and  persevering,  and  especially  if  the  weather  is  cold,  it  soon  grows 
weak  and  perishes.  The  conduct  of  the  dam  in  such  cases  is  occasioned 
by  inflammatoiy  action  abc^t  the  bag  or  teats — and,  perhaps  somewhat  bv 
the  nocclty  of  her  position  !  In  this  case  the  sheep  should  be  caught  and 
held  until  the  lamb  has  exhausted  the  bag,  and  there  will  not  often  be  any 
trouble  afterward,  though  it  may  be  well  enough  to  keep  them  in  a  pen 
together  imtil  the  fact  is  determined. 

I  have  several  times  spoken  oi  pens.  They  are  necessary  in  the  cases  I 
have  mentioned,  and  in  a  variety  of  others.  It  is  therefore  well  for  the 
flock-master  to  be  always  provided  with  a  few  of  them  for  emergencies. 
They  need  not  be  to  exceed  eight  or  ten  feet  square,  and  should  be  built 
of  li2:ht  materials,  and  fastened  together  at  the  corners,  so  they  can  be 
readily  moved  by  one,  or,  at  the  most,  two  men,  from  place  to  place, 
where  they  are  wanted.  Their  position  should  be  daily  shifted  when 
sheep  are  in  them,  for  cleanliness  and  fresh  feed.  Light  pine  poles,  laid 
up  fence  fashion,  and  each  nailed  or  pegged  to  the  lower  ones,  at  the  cor- 
ners, as  laid  on,  would  make  excellent  ones.  Two  or  three  sides  of  a  few 
of  them  should  be  wattled  with  twigs,  and  the  tops  partly  covered  to  shel- 
ter feeble  lambs  from  cold  rains,  piercing  winds,  &c. 

Young  lambs  are  subject  to  what  is  technically  called  "pinning," — thnt 
is,  their  first  excrements  are  so  adhesive  and  tenacious  that  the  orifice  of 
the  anus  is  closed,  and  subsequent  evacuations  prevented.  The  adlicring 
matter  should  be  entirely  removed,  and  the  part  rubbed  with  a  little  dry 
clay  to  prevent  subsequent  adhesion.  Lambs  will  frequently  perish  from 
this  cause  if  not  looked  to  for  the  first  few  days. 


178  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

Numbering  and  Registering. — This  is  not  absolutely  necessary  for  the 
wool-grower,  though  it  is,  in  many  points  of  view,  a  vast  convenience  to 
him,  and  leads  to  a  degree  of  system  in  his  efforts  after  improvement,  and 
gives  a  definiteness  and  precision  to  the  execution  of  his  plans,  otherwise 
unattainable.  But  the  breeder — he  who  makes  it  his  business  more  par- 
ticularly to  raise  choice  animals  to  sell  for  breeding  purposes — is  unwor- 
thy of  the  name,  if  he  does  not  regularly  number  and"  register  his  sheep, 
so  that  he  can  trace  the  descent  of  any  ram  or  ewe,  through  any  number 
of  generations.  This  is  not  merely  to:gratify  an  idle  curiosity,  or  to  fur- 
nish a  purchaser  with  a  sounding  pedigree.  Every  breeder  is  under  the  ne- 
cessity of  directly  breeding  in-and-in,  or  of  occasionally  employing  new 
strains  of  blood.  If  the  latter  step  is  often  resorted  to,  the  hazard  is  in- 
creased of  changing  the  character  of  the  flock.*  If  he  numbers  and  regis- 
ters his  sheep,  he  can  breed  "  closer,"  t  and  consequently  longer,  without  a 
change,  without  the  hazard  of  confusion  or  mistake.  Where  half  a  dozen, 
or  even  three  or  four  rams  are  used  in  the  flock  the  same  year,  it  would  be 
beyond  the  power  of  any  breedei',  relying  on  his  memory  alone,  to  decide, 
six  or  eight  or  ten  years  subsequently,  which  were  the  daughters,  grand- 
daughters, and  great-grand-daughters  of  each.  If  the  rams  A  and  B  be  un- 
related, A  may  be  put  to  the  daughters  of  B,  and  then  B  be  put  to  the 
produce,  (?'.  e.,  his  own  grand-daughter,  got  by  A,)  without  "  close  "  breed- 
ing— because  they  possess  but  one-quarter  of  the  same  blood.  Then  tlie 
great-grand-daughter  may  be  again  put  to  A,  because  she  possesses  but  one- 
quarter  of  his  blood.  As  I  remarked  in  my  last  Letter,  with  tJiree  strains 
of  blood  to  start  with,  the  breeder  may  ring  innumerable  changes,  without 
ever  trenching  on  that  line  which  marks  the  boundaries  of  close  breeding. 
He  who  pretends  that  he  can  preserve  such  multiplied  classifications  in 
his  memory  alone,  is  unworthy  of  the  least  confidence. 

There  is  another  very  important  consideration.  Numbering  and  regis- 
tering enables  the  breeder  to  trace  breeding  effects  definitely  to  their  causes. 
Suppose  that  he  finds  that  an  unusual  number  of  his  young  ewes  are 
poor  nurses — or  exhibit  some  imperfection  of  form  or  wool.  He  can  re- 
move the  present  effect  by  throwing  out  the  defective  ones.  But  the  undis- 
covei'cd  cause  may  still  remain  in  operation.  It  may  be  a  particular  ram, 
or  the  result  of  interbreeding  between  such  ram,  and  ewes  of  a  certain 
strain  of  blood.  If  this  ram,  ox  perhaps  others  got  by  him,  be  permitted  to 
breed,  or  breed  with  a  particular  class  of  ewes,  the  evil  creeps  along  in  the 
flock,  its  cause  remaining  undiscovered.  But  if  the  breeder  could  fix  the 
precise  pedigree  of  every  sheep,  from  an  accurately  kept  register,  he 
would  soon  ascertain  what  strains  of  blood,  or  the  conjunction  of  what 
strains,  produced  the  evil.  By  the  same  means,  he  could  as  readily  trace 
the  sources  of  particular  excellence. 

The  system  of  numbering  invented  by  the  celebrated  Von  Thaer  is  far 
preferable  to  any  other  which  I  have  seen.|     It  is  as  follows :  || 

'  A  ram  of  a  new  strain  of  blood,  though  of  prime  quality,  and  atiparently  possessing  the  same  charac- 
teristics wiih  the  tlock,  does  not  always  interbreed  well  with  the  tlock  in  all  those  minute  particulars  which 
tlie  ftrferfer  is  bound  to  notice,  though  they  might  escape  the  eye  of  the  ordinary  flock-master.  Every 
breeder,  therefore,  who  has  a  flock  that  suits  him,  is  exceedingly  averse  to  an  infusion  of  new  blood,  and 
resorts  to  it  only  as  a  matter  of  necessity. 

t  That  is,  he  can  breed  in-and-in  somewhat.  "  Close"  breeding  is  breeding  between  vcar  afl^inities,  such 
88  between  brother  and  sister,  which  are  of  the  same  blood,  or  between  a  father  and  a  grand-daughter  be- 
gotten on  a  daughter,  which  would  be  three-fourths  of  the  same  blood,  &c. 

%  It  will  not  cause  half  the  mutilation  of  the  system  given  in  the  American  Shepherd — is  simple,  and 
gives  the  a^e.  which  the  former  does  not  Neither  can  this  system  of  giving  the  age  be  ingrafted  on 
that  system  of  numberinu. 

II  As  furnished  me  by  Mr.  Grove,  a  number  of  years  since,  with  this  exception,  that  the  point  of  the 
risht  ear  cut  square  ofl',  he  made  to  stand  for  700  instead  of  500,  as  I  have  placed  it.  I  made  this  change, 
as  the  notch  and  clip  standing  for  100  and  400,  coming  on  the  point  of  the  same  ear,  there  was  no  com- 
biiuiiion  to  express  000. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


179 


Fig.  17. 


No.  4-4— 1841. 


Fie.  18. 


One  notch  over  the  left  ear,  (that  which  is  on  your  left  when  the 
face  of  tlie  sheep  is  from  you,)  stands  for  1  ;  two  notches  over  the 
same,  for  2.  One  notch  under  tlie  left  ear  stands 
far  3.  Three  such  notches  carry  up  the  number 
to  9.  One  notch  over  the  right  ear  stands  for  10  ; 
two  such  for  20.  One  notch  under  the  same  stands 
for  30  ;  and  three  such  for  90.  Combinatit)ns  of  the 
above  (three  notches  under  each  ear)  would  carry 
up  the  number  to  99.  These  four  classes  of  notches 
which  express  all  parts  of  a  hundred,  are  shown  in 
the  first  of  the  aimexed  cuts.  A  &heep  marked 
like  fig.  17  would  be  No.  44. 

A  notch  in  the  end  of  left  ear,  as  in  fig.  IS, 
stands  for  100 ;  in  right  do.  200.  In  addition  to' 
these  there  are  on  the  same  cut  two  1  notches,  one 
3  notch,  one  10  do.,  and  two  30  do.  Adding  the 
whole  together,  the  sheep  would  therefore  be  No. 
375. 

As  the  100  and  200  notches,  together,  make  300, 
no  separate  notch  is  required  for  the  latter  number. 
The  point  of  the  left  ear  cut  square  off,  as  in  fig.  19, 
cut,  stands  for 400 ;  the  point  of  the  right  cut  square'*" 
off,  for  500.  The  latter  and  the  100  notch  would 
make  600,  and  so  on. 

The  lambs  of  each  year  and  each  sex  are  num- 
bered from  1. 

The  age  is  expressed  by  round  holes  through 
the  ears,  standing  for  the  year  in  wliich  the  sheep 
is  born.     As  there  is  no  possibility  of  making  a 

mistake  of  ten  years  in  the  age  of  a  sheep,  these  marks  are  the  same  be- 
tween each  tenth ^'ear  of  the  century.  Between  1S40  and  1850,  no  hole 
would  express  1840 ;  one  hole  in  the  left  ear,  1841 ;  two  holes  in  the  left 
ear,  1842  ;  one  hole  in  the  right  ear,  1843  ;  one  hole  in  the  nght  and  one  in 
the  left,  1844  ;  one  hole  in  the  right  and  two  in  the  left,  1845 ;  two  in  the 
right,  1846  ;  two  in  the  right  and  one  in  the  left,  1847  ;  two  in  each,  1848  ; 
three  in  the  right,  1849  ;  none  in  either,  1850 — and  the  same  for  the  next 
ten  years.  Examples  are  given  in  the  preceding  cuts.  In  other  words, 
one  hole  in  the  left  ear  signifies  1,  and  one  in  the  right  3,  as  applied  to 
the  years  between  each  tenth  of  a  century — and  the  combinations  of  these 
holes  are  made  to  express  all  the  intermediate  years,  with  the  exception 
of  the  tenth. 

Every  ewe,  when  turned  in  with  the  ram,  should  be  given  a  mark  (en- 
tirely distinct  from  the  mark  of  ownership)  which  will  continue  visible  un- 
til the  next  shearing.  Nothing  is  better  for  this  purpose  than  Venetian 
Red  and  hog's  lard,  well  incorporated,  and  marked  on  with  a  cob.  The 
ewes  for  each  ram  require  a  differently  slviped  mark,  and  the  mark  should 
also,  be  made  on  the  ram,  or  a  minute  of  it  in  the  sheep-book.  Thus  it 
can  be  determined  at  a  glance  by  what  ram  the  ewe  was  tupped,  any  time 
before  the  next  shearing. 

The  holes  in  the  ears,  indicating  the  year,  being  the  same  on  the  whole 
annual  crop  of  lambs,  may  be  made  at  any  convenient  time.  The  holes 
are  most  conveniently  made  by  a  saddler's  spring-punch,  the  cutting  cyl- 
inder of  which  is  about  ^  of  an  inch  in  diameter.  If  too  small,  the  holes 
will  grow  up  in  healin?. 

In  numbering,  it  is  difficult  to  prevent  mistakes,  if  it  is  defeired  until 


No.  909—1848. 


180 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


the  lamb  attains  much  size.  If  penned  with  the  dams  when  a  month  or 
two  old,  hours  will  sometimes  elapse  before  each  lamb  will  suck — the  only 
certain  indication  to  which  ewe  it  belongs.  It  being  perfectly  safe  to  per- 
form this  process  when  the  lamb  is  only  about  a  day  old  (or  as  soon  as  the 
lamb  can  walk,  if  it  is  a  strong  one),  the  shepherd  carries  the  notcher  in 
his  pocket,  and  a  little  book,  each  page  being  ruled  into  six  columns,  and 
headed  as  in  the  register  presently  given.  This  constitutes  the  day-book, 
which  is  subsequently  drawn  off  on  the  Register. 

The  notcher  which  I  use  is  of  my  own  invention,  and  I  have  found  it  far 
preferable  to  any  I  have  seen  elsewhere.  It  consists  of  a  saddler's  spring- 
punch — the  cutting  cylinder  being  taken  out,  and  a  little  sharp  chisel  of 
the  same  length  being  screwed  in  its  place.  The  edge  of  the  chisel  de- 
scribes a  semi-ellipsis,  cutting  a  notch  out  of  the  ear  ^  of  an  inch  deep,  and 
a  little  over  y&  wide  at  the  base.  A  triangular  cut  in  the  ear,  with  so  nar- 
row a  base,  will  grow  together  for  some  distance  from  the  apex.  This 
instrument  is  far  more  convenient  than  a  chisel  and  block. 

The  shepherd,  on  finding  a  lamb  of  the  right  age  to  mark,  goes  quietly 
up  to  it,  stopping  it  by  the  neck  with  his  crook  if  it  attempts  to  run  away. 
The  ewe  will  come  near  enough,  in  a  moment  or  two,  to  be  secured  by 
the  crook,  and  then  the  shepherd  notes  her  number  and  age,  and  enters  it 
in  his  pocket-book,  and  also  by  what  ram  tupped.  The  lamb  then  is  num- 
bered with  the  notcher,  and  this  and  its  general  appearance  is  noted  down 
in  the  appropriate  columns.  If  the  ewe  is  too  wild  to  be  cauglit,  the  lamb 
may  be  notched — the  number  of  the  sire,  &c.,  entered — and  the  number 
of  the  ewe  subsequently  ascertained  in  the  pen. 

I  have  two  forms  of  Breeding  Registers,  originally  furnished  me  by  my 
lamented  friend,  the  late  Mi*.  Grove.  One  contains  ten  columns,  the  other 
eight.  I  have  adopted  the  simplest  one,  omitting  two  of  the  columns, 
which  leaves  the  Register  in  the  following  form  : 


BREEDING  REGISTER— 1845. 


No.  of 
Dam. 

22—40 

Tnyp'd  by 
Ram  No. 

Date  of 

Lambing. 

No.  of 
Rams. 

Lamb. 
Ewes. 

16—39 

May  4. 

1 

50—41 

25—42 

May  4. 

1 

6—42 

7—43 

May  5. 

2&3 

11—41 

7—43 

May  5. 

Classification  and  Remarks. 


Coarsish — \vriukly — thick,  .short-legged,  and  stout — 
bad  crops — ewe  plenty  of  milk,  and  kind. 

Fine — thin — long-legged — wool  short — will  lack 

Constitution — ewe  kind — little  milk. 
'Small,  but  of  good  shape  and  fine  wool — No.  3 
'  wrinkjy  and  like  sire — No.  2  more  like  dam. — 
\  Ewe  prater  of  milk,  but  careless. 
'The  lamb  was  born  dead,  very  small.  Same  last 
'  year.  This  ewe  liad  better  be  thrown  out  of 
\     breeding. 


The  first  entry  above  records  the  following  facts  :  "  The  ewe  No.  22, 
born  in  1840,  tupped  by  the  ram  No.  16  of  1S39,  dropped  on  the  4th  of 
May  a  ram  lamb,  which  was  marked  No.  1,  its  character  being  as  described 
under  the  head  of  '  Classification  and  Remarks.'  " 

The  column  of  "  Remarks"  is  a  very  important  one,  if  the  minutes  are 
made  with  accuracy  and  judgment.  It  should  include  an  enumeration  of 
all  the  prominent  characteristics  of  the  lamb,  and  of  the  appearances  of 
the  ewe  as  a  breeder  and  nurse.  These  records  will,  in  a  single  season, 
decide  the  character  of  a  ram  as  a  stock-getter,  and  that  of  the  ewe,  in  a 
year  or  two,  as  a  breeder  and  nurse. 

Emasculation  and  Docking. — These  should  usually  precede  washing, 
as  at  that  period  the  oldest  lambs  will  be  about  a  month  old,  and  it  is  safer 
to  perform  the  operations  when  they  are  a  couple  of  weeks  younger. — 
Dry,  pleasant  weather  should  be  selected.     Castration  is  a  simple  and  safe 

(644) 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


181 


process.  Let  a  man  hold  the  lamb  with  its  back  pressed  firmly  against 
liis  breast  and  stomacli,  and  all  four  legs  gathered  in  fi'ont  in  his  luinds. — 
Cut  ort'  the  bottom  of  the  pouch,  free  the  testicle  from  the  inclosing  mem- 
brane, and  then  draw  it  steadily  out,  or  clip  the  cord  with  a  knifu,  if  it 
docs  not  snap  off  at  a  projier  distance  from  the  testicle.  Some  shejjherds 
draw  both  testicles  at  onco  with  their  teeth.  It  is  common  to  drop  a  little 
salt  into  the  pouch.  Where  the  weather  is  very  warm,  some  touch  the 
end  of  the  pouch  (and  that  of  the  tail,  after  thiit  is  cut  off)  with  an  oint- 
ment, consisting  of  tar,  lard,  and  turpentine.  In  ninety-nine  cases  out  of 
a  hundred,  however,  they  will  do  just  as  well,  here,  without  any  application. 

The  tail  should  be  cut  off,  say  one  and  a  half  inches  from  the  body,  with 
a  chisel  on  the  head  of  a  block,  the  skin  being  slid  up  toward  the  body 
with  a  finger  and  thumb,  so  that  it  will  afterward  cover  the  end  of  the 
stump.  Severed  with  a  knife,  the  end  of  the  tail  being  grasped  with  one 
of  the  hands  in  the  ordinary  way,  a  naked  stump  is  left  which  it  takes 
some  lime  to  heal. 

It  may  occur  to  some  unused  to  keeping  sheep,  that  it  is  unnecessary  to 
cut  off  the  tail.  If  left  on,  it  is  apt  to  collect  filth,  and,  if  the  sheep  purges, 
it   becomes  an  intolerable  nuisance. 


Washing. — This  is  usually  done  here  about  the  first  of  June.  The  cli- 
mate of  the  Southern  States  would  admit  of  its  being  done  earlier.  The 
rule  should  be  to  wait  until  the  water  has  acquired  sufficient  warmth  for 
bathing,  and  until  cold  rains  and  storms,  and  cold  nights,  are  no  longer  to 
be  expected. 

Sheep  are  usually  washed  by  our  best  flock-masters  in  vats.  A  small 
stream  is  dammed  up,  and  the  water  taken  from  it  in  an  aqueduct  (formed 
by  nailing  boards  together),  and  carried  until  sufficient  fall  is  obtained  to 
have  it  pour  down  a  couple  of  feet  or  more  into  the  vat.  The  body  of 
water,  to  do  the  work  fast  and  well,  should  be  considerable — say  24  inches 
wide,  and  five  or  six  deep — and  the  swifter  the  current  the  better.  The 
vat  should  be  say  3^  feet  deep,  and  large  enough  for  four  sheep  to  swim 
in  it.  A  yard  is  built  near  the  vat,  and  a  platform  from  the  gate  of  the 
yard  extends  to  and  encircles  the  vat  on  thi-ee  sides.    This  keeps  the  washer 

Fig.  20. 


WASHING    APPARATUS. 


from  standing  in  the  water,  and  makes  it  much  easier  to  lift  the  sheep  in 
and  out.    The  cut  here  given  exhibits  all  the  necessary  appendages.    The 


182  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

yard  is  built  opposite  the  corners  of  two  fields  (1  and  2),  to  take  advantage  of 
the  angle  of  one  of  them  (1),  to  drive  the  sheep  more  readily  into  the  yard 
(3).  This  yard  should  be  large  enough  to  hold  the  whole  flock,  if  it  does  not 
exceed  200  ;  and  the  bottom  of  it,  as  well  as  of  the  smaller  yard  (5),  un- 
less well  sodded  over,  should  be  covered  with  coarse  gravel,  to  avoid  be- 
coming muddy.  If  the  same  establishment  is  used  by  a  number  of  flock- 
masters,  graveling  will  be  always  necessary.  As  soon  as  the  flock  are 
confined  in  yard  3,  the  lambs  are  all  immediately  caught  out  from  among 
them,  and  set  over  the  fence  into  yard  4.  This  is  to  prevent  their  being 
trampled  down,  as  it  often  happens,  by  the  old  sheep,  or  straying  ofl"  if  let 
loose.  As  many  sheep  are  then  driven  out  of  yard  3  into  the  smaller  yard. 
5  as  it  will  conveniently  hold.  A  boy  stands  by  the  gate  next  to  the  vat, 
to  open  and  shut  it  (or  the  gate  is  drawn  shut  with  a  chain  and  weight),  and 
two  men,  catching  the  sheep  as  directed  under  the  head  of  tagging,  com- 
mence placing  them  in  the  water  for  the  preparatory  process  of  "  wetting." 
As  soon  as  the  water  strikes  through  the  wool,  which  occupies  but  an  in- 
stant, the  sheep  is  lifted  out  and  let  loose.*  The  vat  should,  of  course,  be 
in  an  inclosed  field,  to  prevent  their  escape.  The  whole  flock  should  thus 
be  passed  over,  and  again  driven  round  through  field  1  into  yard  3,  where 
they  should  stand,  say,  an  hour,  before  washing  commences.  There  is 
a  large  per  centage  of  potasht  in  the  wool  oil,  which  acts  upon  the  dirt, 
independently  of  the  favorable  effect  which  would  result  from  thus 
soaking  it  for  some  time  with  water  alone.  If  washed  soon  after  a  good 
shower,  previous  wetting  might  be  dispensed  with  ;  and  it  is  not  absolutely 
necessary,  perhaps,  in  any  case.  If  the  water  is  warm  enough  to  keep  the 
sheep  in  it  for  the  requisite  period,  they  may  be  got  clean  by  washing 
without  any  previous  wetting — though  the  snowy  whiteness  of  fleece  which 
tells  so  on  the  purchaser,  is  not  so  often  nor  so  perfectly  attained  in  the 
latter  way.  Little  time  is  saved  by  omitting  "  wettjng,"  as  it  takes  propor- 
tionably  longer  to  wash,  and  it  is  not  so  well  for  the  sheep  to  be  kept  such 
a  length  of  time  in  the  water  at  once. 

When  the  washing  commences,  two  and  sometimes  four  sheep  are 
plunged  into  the  vat.  When  four  are  put  in,  two  soak  while  two  are 
washed.  But  this  should  not  be  done,  unless  the  water  is  very  warm,  and 
the  washers  are  uncommonly  quick  and  expert.  On  the  whole,  it  is  rather 
an  objectionable  practice,  for  few  animals  suffer  as  much  from  the  effects 
of  a  chill  as  sheep.  If  they  have  been  previously  wetted,  it  is  wholly  un- 
necessary. When  the  sheep  are  in  the  water,  the  two  washers  commence 
kneading  the  wool  with  their  hands  about  the  breech,  belly,  &c.,  (the 
dirtier  parts,)  and  they  then  continue  to  turn  the  sheep  so  that  the  descend- 
ing current  of  water  can  strike  into  all  parts  of  the  fleece.  As  soon  as 
the  sheep  are  clean,  which  may  be  known  by  the  water  running  entirely 
clear,  each  washer  seizes  his  own  by  the  fore  parts,  plunges  it  deep  in  the 
vat,  and  taking  advantage  of  the  rebound,  lifts  it  out,  setting  it  gently 
down  on  its  breech  on  the  platform.  He  then,  if  the  sheep  is  old  or 
weak,  (and  it  is  well  in  all  cases,)  presses  out  some  of  the  water  from  the 
wool,  and  after  submitting  the  sheep  to  a  process  presently  to  be  adverted 
to,  lets  it  go.  There  should  be  no  mud  about  the  vat,  the  earth  not  cov- 
ered with  sod,  being  graveled.  Sheep  should  be  kept  on  clean  pastures 
from   washing  to  shearing — not  where  they  can  come  in  contact  with 


*  Where  there  arc  conveniences  for  eo  doing,  thia  process  may  be  more  easily  performed  by  driving  the 
Bheep  through  a  streani  deep  enough  to  compel  them  to  swim.  But  swimming  the  compact-fleeced,  fine- 
wcoled  sheep  for  any  lenfjth  of  time,  as  is  practiced  with  the  Long-Wools  in  England,  will  not  properly 
cleanse  the  wool  for  shearing 

t  Vauquelin,  quoted  by  Youatt.  says  that  it  consists  mostly  of  soapy  matter  with  a  basis  of  potash;  3. 
Carb.  of  potash  ;  3.  Acetate  of  potash;  '4.  Lime  ;  5.  Muriate  of  potash 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  183 

the  ground,  burnt  logs,  &c. — and   they  should  not  be   driven  over  dusty 
roads. 

The  washers  should  be  strong  and  cartful  men,  and  protected  as  they 
are  from  anything  but  the  water  running  over  the  sides  of  the  vat,  they 
can  labor  several  houis  without  inconvenience,  and  without  drinking 
whisky  until  they  cease  to  know  whether  a  sheep  is  well  washed  or  well 
treated,  as  was  the  bad  old  fashion.  Two  hundred  sheej)  will  employ  two 
expert  men  not  over  half  a  day,  and  I  have  known  this  rate  much  ex- 
ceeded. 

It  is  a  great  object,  not  only  as  a  matter  of  propriety  and  honesty,  but 
even  as  a  matter  of  profit,  to  get  the  wool  clean  and  of  a  snowy  whiteness. 
It  will  always  sell  for  more  than  enough  extra,  in  this  condition,  to  offset 
against  the  increased  labor  and  the  dimiimtion  in  weight, 

Mr.  Lawrence  wrote  me,  a  few  years  since,  that  the  average  loss  in 
American  Saxon  wool,  in  scouring,  (after  being  washed  on  the  back,)  was 
36  per  cent.,  and  in  American  Merino  42^  per  cent. ! 

Cutting  the  Hoofs. — The  hoofs  of  fine-wooled  sheep  grow  rapidly, 
turn  up  in  front  and  under  at  the  sides,  and  must  be  clipped  as  often  as 
once  a  year,  or  they  become  unsightly,  give  an  awkward,  hobbling  gait  to 
the  sheep,  and  the  part  of  the  horn  which  turns  under  at  the  sides  holds 
dirt  or  dung  in  constant  contact  with  the  soles,  and  even  prevents  it  from 
being  readily  shaken  or  washed  out  of  the  cleft  of  the  foot  in  the  natural 
movements  of  the  sheep  about  the  pastures,  as  would  take  place  were  the 
hoof  in  its  proper  shape.  This  greatly  aggravates  the  hoof-ail,  and  the 
difficulty  of  curing  it — and  in  England  it  is  thought  to  originate  the 
disease. 

It  is  customary  to  clip  the  hoofs  at  tagging,  or  at  or  soon  after  the  time 
of  shearing.  Some  employ  a  chisel  and  mallet  to  shorten  the  hoofs,  but 
then  the  sheep  must  be  subsequently  turned  on  its  back  to  pare  off"  the 
projecting  and  curling-under  side  crust.  If  the  weather  be  dry,  or  the 
sheep  have  stood  for  some  time  on  dry  straw,  (as  at  shearing,)  the  hoofs 
are  as  tough  as  horn,  and  are  cut  with  great  difficulty — and  this  is  in- 
creased by  the  giit  and  dirt  which  adheres  to  the  sole,  and  immediately 
takes  the  edge  off*  from  the  knife. 

The  above  periods  are  ill  chosen,  and  the  methods  slow  and  bungling. 
It  is  particularly  improper  to  submit  heavily  pregnant  ewes  to  all  this  un- 
necessary handling  at  the  time  of  tagging. 

When  the  sheep  is  washed  and  lifted  out  of  the  vat,  and  placed  on  its 
rump  on  the  platform,  the  gate-keeper 

advances  with  a  pair  of  toe-niirpers,  and  ^'s-  21. 

the  washer  presents  each  foot  sepa- 
rately, pressing  the  toes  together  so 
they  can  be  severed   at   a   single  clip. 

The  nippers  shown  in  the  cut,  can  be  toe-nippers. 

made  by  any  blacksmith  who  can  tem- 
per an  ax  or  chisel.  They  must  be  made  strong,  with  handles  a  little 
more  than  a  foot  long,  the  rivet  being  of  half-inch  iron  and  confined  with 
a  nut,  so  that  they  may  be  taken  apart  for  sharpening.  The  cutting  ed<re 
should  descend  upon  a  strip  of  copper  inserted  in  the  iron,  to  prevent  it 
from  being  dulled.  With  this  powerful  instrument,  the  largest  lioofs  are 
severed  with  a  moderate  compression  of  the  hand.  Two  well-sharpened 
knives,  which  should  be  kept  in  a  stand  or  box  within  rench,  aie  then 
grasped  by  the  washer  and  assistant,  and  with  two  dexterous  strokes  to 
each  foot,  the  side  crust  (being  free  from  dirt,  and  soaked  almost  as  soft  as 


184 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


a  cucumber,)  is  reduced  to  the  level  of  the  soles.  Two  expert  men  will 
go  through  these  processes  in  less  time  than  it  will  take  to  read  this  de- 
scription of  them ! 

The  closer  the  paring  and  clipping,  the  better,  if  blood  is  not  drawn. 
An  occasional  sheej?  may  requiie  clipping  again  in  the  fall. 

Time  between  Washing  and  Shearing. — This  depends  altogether  on 
circumstances.  From  four  to  six  days  of  bright  warm  weather  is  suffi- 
cient. If  cold  and  rainy,  or  cloudy,  nnore  time  must  elapse.  I  have  known 
the  wool  to  remain  in  an  unfit  condition  to  shear  a  fortnight  after  washino-. 
The  rule  is,  the  water  should  be  thoroughly  dried  out,  and  the  natural  oil 
of  the  wool  should  so  far  exude  as  to  give  the  wool  an  unctuous  feel  and 
a  lively,  glittering  look.  If  you  shear  it  when  dry,  like  cotton,  before  the 
oil  has  exuded,  you  cheat  yourself,  and  the  wool  will  not  keep  so  well  for 
long  periods.*  If  you  leave  it  until  it  gets  too  oily,  you  cheat  the  manu- 
facturer, or  what  more  often  happens,  you  lose  on  the  price. 

Shearing — Is  always  done,  in  this  country,  on  the  threshing-floors  of 
our  barns,  sometimes  on  low  platforms,  but  more  commonly  on  the  floor 
itself.  The  following  cut  represents  a  common  Northern  barn  properly 
arranged  for  this  pui-pose. 

Fig  22. 


SHEARING  ARRANGEMENTS. 


On  the  threshing-floor,  three  men  are  seen  shearing — twc  of  them  using 
a  low  table  or  platform,  say  18  or  20  inches  high.  The  "  bay  "t  (1,  2) 
nearest  the  eye  is  divided  by  a  temporary  fence,  one  part  (1)  being  used 
for  the  yarding  of  the  sheep,  and  the  other  (2)  for  doing  up  the  wool,  &c. 
The  inclosure  1  should  communicate  by  a  door  with  another  and  larger 
yard  outside  of  the  barn.     Both  of  these  should  be  well  Uttered  down  with 


*  It  is  hIso  very  difficult  to  thnist  the  ehenrs  throncb  this  dry  wool  in  shearing. 

t  The  room  for  storinc  hay,  crain.  &c.,  which  is  always  found  on  one.  and  fonietimrs  on  each  side  of  the 
threshiiis-floor  in  a  Norihern  liarn,  is  provinciiilly  termed  a  "  bay" — and  ibe  low  division  between  this  and 
the  ihreshiug-tioor  a  "  breastwork." 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  185 

straw,  and  fresh  straw  thrown  on  occasionally,  to  keep  the  sheep  clean 
while  shearing.  No  chatl",  or  other  substances  which  will  stick  in  the  wool, 
should  be  used  for  this  purpose.  W'lien  the  dew  has  dried  iAY  from  the 
slieep,  on  the  morning  chosen  for  shearing,  a  ]>ortion  of  tlie  flock  sutlicient 
to  last  the  shearers  half  a  day,  is  driven  into  the  outside  yard,  and  a  con- 
venient number  into  the  bay  (1).  An  assistant  catches  the  sheep,  lifts 
them  oti"  fnim  the  tloor  as  already  directed,  and  delivers  them  at  the  door 
through  the  "  breastwork  "  (3)  to  each  shearer.  The  shearer  before  taking 
the  siieep,  picks  otf  any  loose  straws  sticking  to  its  wool,  and  if  dung  ad- 
heres to  any  of  the  feet,  brushes  it  otf  with  a  little  besom  formed  erf"  twicrs, 
hung  up  near  the  door  for  that  purpose.  The  shearer  then  takes  the  sheep 
to  his  stand,  and  commences  shearing. 

The  floor  or  tables  used  tor  shearing  should  be  planed  or  worn  perfectly 
smooth,  so  that  they  will  not  hold  dirt  or  catch  the  wool.  They  all  should 
^•>e  thoroughly  cleaned,  and,  if  necessary,  washed,  preparatory  to  sheaiing. 
It  is  the  catcher's  business  to  keep  the  floor  constantly  swept,  dung  re- 
moved. &c.  Having  a  ncio  stand  or  place  swept  for  the  shearer  who  has 
just  finished  his  sheep,  he  catches  him  another,  and  then  clears  up  the 
stand  previously  occupied.  He  first  lifts  the  fleece,  gathers  it  up  so  that 
it  shall  not  be  torn  or  drawn  asunder,  and  turning  his  arms  so  as  to  invert 
It,  (?.  e.,  bring  the  roots  of  the  wool  downward,)  deposits  it  on  the  folding- 
table  {\).  He  then  picks  up  the  "fribs"  (small  loose  locks)  left  on  the 
floor,  which  are  deposited  in  a  basket  or  on  a  corner  of  the  table.  Lastly, 
he  sweeps  the  spot  clean,  to  be  again  occupied  by  the  shearer.  An  active 
fellow  will  tend  four  shearers,  and  do  up  the  fleeces.  But  he  should  not 
be  hurried  too  much,  or  he  cannot  give  sufficient  time  to  doing  up.  A 
small  boy  or  two  are  handy  to  pick  up  fribs,  sweep,  &c. 

If  there  are  any  sheep  in  the  pen  dirty  from  purging  or  other  causes, 
they  should  first  be  caught  out,  to  prevent  them  from  dirtying  the  others. 

It  is  diflScult,  if  not  impossible,  to  give  intelligible  practical  instructions 
which  would  guide  an  entire  novice  in  skillfully  shearing  a  sheep.  Prac- 
tice is  requisite.  The  following  directions  from  the  American  Shepherd,* 
are  coiTCCt,  and  are  as  plain,  perhaps,  as  they  can  be  made  : 

"  The  shearer  may  place  the  sheep  on  that  part  of  the  floor  assigned  to  him.  resting  on  its 
rump,  and  himself  in  a  postnie  vnxh  one  (his  right)  knee  on  a  cushion,  and  the  back  of  the  ani- 
mal resting  agjiinst  his  left  thigh.  He  gi-asps  the  shears  ahcuit  half-way  from  the  point  to  the 
bow,  resting  his  thumb  along  the  blade,  which  atTords  him  better  command  of  the  points. 
He  may  then  commence  cutting  the  wool  at  the  brisket,  and  proceeding  downward,  all  ujion 
the  sides  of  the  belly  to  the  extivmity  of  the  ribs,  the'extemal  sides  of  both  thighs  to  the 
edges  of  the  fl.inks  ;  then  back  to  the  brisket,  and  thence  upward,  shearing  the  wool  from  the 
breast,  front,  and  both  sides  of  the  neck — but  not  yet  the  liack  of  it — and  also  the  poll  or 
fore  part,  and  top  of  the  head.  Now  the  'jacket  is  opened  '  of  the  sheep,  and  its  position 
and  that  of  tlie  shearer  is  changed,  by  being  turned  flat  upon  its  side,  one  knee  of  the  phe^rT 
restins  on  the  cushion,  and  the  other  JTeutly  jjressing  the  fore  quarter  of  the  animal,  to  pre>- 
vent  any  strusgling.  He  then  resumes  cutting  njwn  the  flank  and  rump,  and  thence  on- 
ward to  the  head.  Thus  one  side  is  complete.  The  sheep  is  then  turned  on  to  the  other 
side,  in  doing  which  great  care  is  requisite  to  prevent  the  fleece  from  being  torn,  and  the 
shearer  acts  as  upon  the  other,  which  fini.shes.  He  must  then  take  his  sheep  near  to  the 
diwr  throush  which  it  is  to  jiass  out,  and  neatly  trim  the  legs,  and  leave  not  a  solitar)-  locV" 
anywhere  as  a  harbor  for  ticks.  It  is  absolutely  necessary  for  him  to  remove  from  his  stand 
to  trim,  otherwise  the  useless  stuft'from  the  legs  becomes  intermingled  with  the  fleece-wool. 
In  the  use  of  the  sh'-ars,  let  the  blades  be  laid  as  flat  to  the  skin  ;is  possible,  not  lower  the 
points  too  much,  nor  cut  more  than  from  one  to  two  inches  at  a  clip,  frequently  not  so  much, 
depending  on  the  part  and  compactness  of  the  wool." 

In  addition  to  the  above,  I  would  remark  that  the  wool  should  be  cut 
off  as  close  as  conveniently  practicable,  and  even.  It  viay  be  cut  too  close, 
BO  that  the  sheep  can  scarcely  avoid  "  sun-scald,"  but  this  is  very  unusual. 

•  Page*  179, 180.  ^    . 

2  A 


186  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

If  the  wool  is  left  ridey  and  uneven,  it  betrays  that  want  of  workmanship 
which  is  so  distasteful  to  every  good  farmer.*  Great  care  should  be  taken 
not  to  cut  the  wool  twice  in  two,  as  inexperienced  shearers  are  apt  to  do. 
It  is  a  great  damage  to  the  wool.  It  is  done  by  cutting  too  far  from  the 
point  of  the  shears,  and  suffering  the  points  to  get  too  elevated.  Every 
time  tlie  shears  are  pushed  forward,  the  wool  before  cut  off  by  the  points, 
say  a  quarter  or  three-eighths  of  an  inch  from  the  hide,  is  again  severed. 
To  keep  the  fleece  entire,  so  important  to  its  good  appearance  when  done 
up,  (and  therefore  to  its  salableness,)  it  is  very  essential  that  the  sheep  be 
held  eaaUyJtjr  itself,  ^^  ^^^^  ^^  ^^'^^^  '^^^^  struggle  violently.  To  hold  it  still 
by  main  strength,  no  man  can  do,  and  shear  it  well-.  The  posture  of  the 
shearer  should  be  such  that  the  sheep  is  actually  confined  to  its  position, 
so  that  it  is  unable  to  start  up  suddenly  and  tear  its  fleece,  but  it  should 
not  be  confined  there  by  severe  pressure  or  force,  or  it  will  be  constantly 
kicking  and  struggling.  Heavy-handed,  careless  men,  therefore,  always 
complain  of  getting  the  most  troublesome  sheep.  The  neck,  for  example, 
may  be  confined  to  the  floor  by  placing  it  between  the  toe  and  knee  of  the 
leg  on  which  the  shearer  kneels,  but  the  lazy  or  brutal  shearer  who  lets 
his  leg  rest  directly  on  the  neck,  soon  provokes  that  struggle  which  the 
animal  is  obliged  to  make  to  free  itself  from  severe  pain,  and  even  perhaps 
to  draw  its  breath  ! 

Good  shearers  will  shear,  on  the  average,  twenty-five  Mepnos  per  day, 
and  a  new  beginner  should  not  attempt  to  exceed  from  one-third  to  one- 
half  that  number.  It  is  the  last  process  in  the  world  which  should  be  hur- 
ried, as  the  shearer  will  soon  leave  more  than  enough  wool  on  his  sheep  to 
pay  for  his  day's  wages. 

It  has  been  mentioned  that  but  enough  sheep  should  be  yarded  at  once 
for  half  a  day's  shearing.  The  reason  for  this  is  that  they  shear  much 
more  easily,  and  there  is  less  liability  of  cutting  the  skin,  when  they  are 
distended  with  food,  than  when  their  bellies  become  flabby  and  collapsed 
for  the  want  of  it.  This  precaution,  however,  is  often  necessarily  omitted 
in  showery  weather.  It  is*vei"y  convenient  to  have  the  outside  pen  which 
communicates  with  the  "bay,"  covered.  On  my  farm,  it  is  one  of  the 
regular  sheep-houses.  If  it  is  showery  over  night,  or  showers  come  up  on 
the  day  of  shearing,  a  couple  of  hundred  sheep  may  be  run  in  and  kept 
dry.  And  they  can  be  let  out  to  feed  occasionally  during  the  day  on 
short  grass.  If  let  out  in  long  wet  grass,  their  bellies  will  become  wetted. 
Wool  ought  not  to  be  sheared,  and  must  not  be  done  up,  with  any  water 
in  it.  

Shearing  Lambs,  and  Shearing  Sheep  Semi-Annually. — Shearing 
lambs  is,  in  my  judgment,  every  way  an  abominable  and  unprofitable  prac- 
tice— in  this  climate,  at  least.  The  lamb  will  give  you  the  same  wool  at  a 
year  old,  and  you  strip  it  of  its  natural  protection  from  cold  when  it  is 
young  and  tender,  for  the  paltry  gain  of  the  interest  on  a  pound  or  a  pound 
and  a  half  of  wool  for  six  months — not  more  than  two  or  three  cents — and 
this  all  covered  by  the  expense  of  shearing. 

I  am  aware  that  it  is  customary,  in  many  parts  of  the  South,  to  shear 
grown  sheep  twice  a  year;  and  there  may  be  a  reason  for  it  where  they 
receive  so  little  care  that  a  portion  are  expected  to  disappear  every  half- 
year,  and  the  wool  to  be  torn  from  the  backs  of  the  remainder  by  bushes. 
thorns,  &c.,  if  left  for  a  longer  period.     But  when  sheep  are  inclosed,  and 

*  I  hold  thnt  man  is  not  half  &  famipr  who  has  not  a  dash  of  the  (esthetic  mixed  up  with  his  utilitariaDism. 
Profit  (Should  not  often  be  sacrificed  to  appearances,  hut  where  they  are  strictly  compatible,  he  who  disre- 
gards the  latter  betrays  a  sordid  and  uncultivated  mind. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

«_ 


187 


rOLDING-TABLE. 


treateil  as  domestic  animals,  there  may  be  less  barbarity  in  fall-sliearing 
them  than  in  the  case  of  tender  lambs,  hut  I  cannot  conceive  of  any  better 
reason  for  it  than  in  the  former  rase,  on  the  score  of  utility.  Any  gain 
resulting  from  it  cannot  pay  the  additional  expense  it  occasions. 

Doi\o-rp  Wool. — The  fleece  has  been  deposited  on  the  "  fiilding  table," 
and  he  whose  business  it  is  to  do  it  up,  first  proceeds  to  spread  it  out,  the 
outer  ends  tipicard,  bringing  every  part  to  its  natural  relative  position. — 
The    table,    with    a 

fleece  spread  out  on  ^'*-  ^• 

it,  is  represented  in 
fig.  23.  The  table 
should  be  large — 
say  five  feet  wide 
and  eight  long — that, 
if  necessary,  several 
unspread  fleeces  may 
be  put  upon  it  at  the 
same  time,  and  still 
give  room  for  spread- 
ing one.  It  should 
be  about  three  feet 
high.  After  the  fleece 
is  spread,  dung,  burs,  and  all  other  extraneous  substances  are  carefully  re- 
moved from  it  with  a  pair  of  shears.  It  is  then  pressed  together  with  the 
hands,  so  that  it  will  cover  but  little  if  any  more  space  than  it  would  oc- 
cupy on  the  skin  of  the  animal,  if  that  was  placed  unstretched  on  the  table. 
About  a  quarter  of  the  fleece,  lencjthwise,  or  from  head  to  tail,  (represented 
by  1  in  the  above  cut,)  is  then  turned  or  folded  in  ( irivertivg  it,)  toward 
the  middle.  The  opposite  side  (2)  is  next  folded  inward  in  the  same  way, 
leaving  the  fleece  in  a  long  strip,  sny  18  inches  wide.  The  forward  end 
(3)  is  then  folded  toward  the  breech,  to  a  point  (rey)resenl,ed  by  dotted 
line)  corresponding  with  the  point  of  the  shoulder.  The  breech  (4)  is  next 
folded  toward  the  head.  The  fleece  now  presents  an  oblong  square  rep- 
resented by  5  and  6.  On  the  breech,  in  a  small,  compact  bunch — so  they 
can  be,  subsequently,  readily  sepa- 
rated from  the  fleece — the  clean  fribs 
are  placed.  They  do  not  include 
"  trimmings,"  (the  wool  from  the 
shanks.)  which  should  not  be  done  up 
in  the  fleeces.  The  fribs  may  be  laid 
in  at  some  earlier  stage  of  the  folding 
— but  if  thrown  on  top  of  the  fleece, 
as  is  very  customary,  before  it  is  fold- 
ed at  all,  they  show  through,  if  the 
latter  gets  strained  apart,  as  it  fre- 
quently happens  in  the  process  of  rolU 
ing — and  V)eing  coarser  and  perhaps 
less  white  than  the  fine  shoulder  wool, 
they  injure  the  appearance  of  the 
fleece.  The  fleece  is  now  folded  to- 
gether by  turning  5  over  on  to  6,  and 
the  tyer  carefully  sliding  it  around  on  the  table  with  his  arms,  so  that 
the  shoulder  shall  be  toward  him,  it  appears  as  in  fie.  24,  ready  to 
go  into  the  wool-trough.     The  wool-trough,  which  is   above  represented 


Fig.  24. 


WOOL-TROUGH. 


188 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


Fig.  25. 


with  one  of  its  sides  off,  to  exhibit  the  interior  arrangement,  should  form 
a  part  of  the  table,  and  should  be  about  9^  inches  wide  and  9  deep,  and 
its  length  corresponding  with  the  width  of  the  table,  would  be  five  feet. 
Near  its  back  end,  and  about  one-third  of  its  width  from  each  side,  gimlet 
holes  are  bored  just  large  enough  for  the  passage  of  ordinary  wool-twine. 
'  Two  balls  of  twine  are  placed  in  a  vessel  beneath,  the  ends  passed  through 
the  holes,  and  the  whole  length  of  the  trough,  and  are  fastened  in  front  by- 
being  drawn  into  two  slits  formed  by  sawing  a  couple  of  inches  into  the 
bottom  of  the  trough.  The  holes  and  slits  should  be  small  enough,  so  that 
the  twine  will  be  kept  drawn  straight  between  them. 

The  tyer  placing  his  Jiands  and  arms  (to  the  elbow)  on  each  side  of  the 
fleece  folded  as  above,  now  slides  it  into  the  trough.  There  are  two 
methods  of  having  it  lie  in  the  trough,  represented  by  the  following  cuts. 
That  on  the  left  is  the  more  ordinary,  but  not 
the  best  method.  It  will  bi-ing  to  the  two  c^Js 
of  the  done-up  fleece  (the  parts  most  seen  in  the 
wool-room)  the  ridge  of  the  backhand  two  lines 
half  way  down  each  side  of  the  sheep.  The  for- 
mer is  sometimes  a  little  weather-beaten,  and  if 
any  hay-seeds  have  fastened  in  the  fleece,  they 
show  most  on  the  back.*  And  the  two  lower 
lines  are  a  little  below  the  choicest  wool. — 
Placing  it  in  the  trough  as  in  the  right-hand  figure,  rolling  would  bring 
both  ends  of  the  fleece  from  the  wool  between  four  and  five  inches  from 
the  ridge  of  the  back,  the  choicest  part  of  the  fleece.  Besides,  the  edges 
of  the  breech  fold,  which  is  not  so  fine  as  the  shoulder,  w^hich  sometimes 
show  by  the  first  method  of  rolling,  are  always  concealed  by  the  last. 

The  wool  being  in  the  trough,  the  tyer  steps  round  to  the  back  end  of 
it,  and  commences  rolling  the  fleece  from  the  breech  to  the  shoulder.  He 
rolls  it  as  tightly  as  possible,  pressing  it  down  and  exerting  all  the  strength 
of  his  hands — minding,  however',  not  to  tear  the  outside  fold — or  strain  it 
so  apart  as  to  exhibit  the  ovter  ends  of  the  next  inside  layer  or  fold. 
When  the  rolling  is  completed,  he  keeps  it  tight  by  resting  the  lower  part 
of  his  left  arm  across  it,  reaches  over  with  the  right,  and  withdrawing  one 
of  the  ends  of  the  twine  from  the  slit,  places  it  in  the  left  hand.  Then 
seizing  the  twine  on  the  other  side  of  the  fleece  with  his  right  hand,  he 
draws  the  twine  once  about  the  fleece  with  his  whole  stre7igth,  and  ties  it 
in  a  hard  or  square  knot.  The  fleece  will  then  keep  its  position,  and  the 
other  twine  is  tied  in  the  same  way.  The  twines  should  be  drawn  with  a 
force  that  would  cut  through  the  skin  of  a  tender  hand  in  a  few  moments.t 
The  twines  are  then  cut  within  an  inch  of  the  knots,  with  a 
pair  of  shears.  •  The  fleece  is  slid  out  of  the  end  of  the 
trough,  when  it  will  be  a  solid,  glittering  mass  of  snowy 
wool,  in  the  shape  shown  in  the  cut  on  the  right.  If  well 
and  tightly  done  up,  however,  the  divisions  given  on  the 
end  of  the  fleece,  in  the  cut,  to  exhibit  the  foldings,  will 
not  be  perceptible — and  notliing  but  an  unbroken  mass  of 
the  choicest  wool  of  the  fleece. 

The  twine  should  be  of  flax  or  hemp,  and  of  the  diameter  of  ordinary 
sized  hardware  twine.  Cotton  might  do,  if  smooth  and  hard  enough  so 
that  no  particles  of  it  could  become  incorporated  with  the  wool — in  which 
event  it  does  not  separate  from  the  wool  in  any  of  the  subsequent  processes, 


V\s.  Of!. 


and  receiving  a  different  color  from  the  dyes,  spots  the  surface  of  the  cloth. 

*  Hay-seed,  or  rather  its  chafT.  will  not  wash  entirely  out  of  wool. 

t  It  IB  cuBtomary  with  some  tyers  to  wear  a  glove  on  tiie  right  hand — or  cots  on  the  two  fore-fingen. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  189 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  remark  tliat  it  is  considered  perfectly  fair  by 
the  purchaser,  to  take  all  the  pains  above  recommended,  to  "  put  the  best 
side  out  "  in  doing  up  wool,  provided  every  fleece  is  done  up  by  itself.  He 
expects  it,  and  graduates  his  prices  accordingly.  He  who  neglects  it, 
therefore,  cheats  himself.  But  to  do  up  coarser  fleeces,  or  any  parts  of 
them,  in  Hner  ones — ])tt  in  "  tnmmings" — leave  in  dung — or  use  unne- 
cessary twine — are  all  base  frauds.  Sometimes  the  careless  sheep-owner 
will  have  his  wool  filled  with  burs,  which  he  cannot  or  will  not  remove. 
In  that  case  he  is  bound  to  unequivocally  apprise  the  buyer  of  the  fact, 
and  allow  him  to  open  fleeces  until  satisfied  of  the  precise  extent  of  the 
evil.  

Storivg  Wool,. — Wool  should  be  stored  in  a  clean,  tight,  dry  room.  It 
is  better  that  it  should  be  an  upper  room,  for  reasons  presently  to  be  given, 
and  it  should  be  plastered,  to  exclude  dust,  vermin,  insects,  &c.  Rats  and 
mice  love  to  build  their  nests  in  it^to  which  they  will  carry  grain  chaff  and 
other  substances,  injuring  much  wool — and  it  is  singular  that  if  accessible 
to  the  common  bumble-bee,  numbers  of  their  nests  will  be  found  in  it.  A 
north  and  pretty  strong  light  is  preferable  for  a  wool-room. 

When  the  wool-tyer  removes  each  fleece  from  the  trough,  he  places  it 
in  a  long,  hirrh  basket,  cajiable  of  holding  a  dozen  fleeces,  and  it  is  imme- 
diately carried  to  the  wool-room — or  he  piles  it  on  the  clean  floor  in  the 
inclosure  in  which  his  table  stands,  to  be  subsequently  earned  away.  In 
either  case,  the  fleeces  are  not  thrown  down  promiscuously,  which  injures 
their  s)jape,  but  are  laid,  regularly  one  above  another,  on  their  sides.  In 
the  wool-room  it  is  laid  in  the  same  way  in  smooth,  straight  north  and 
south  rows  (supposing  the  light  to  be  let  in  from  the  north)  with  alleys 
between,  in  which  a  man  can  pass  to  inspect  the  wool.  The  rows  ought 
not,  perhaps,  to  be  more  than  two  deep,  so  that  the  end  of  every  fleece  can 
be  examined,  but  as  it  cannot  be  piled  up  more  than  about  four  fleeces 
high  in  this  way,  without  liability  of  falling,  it  is  customary  to  make  the 
rows  three  or  four  fleeces  deep — laying  the  lower  ones  a  little  wide,  so 
that  the  pile  may  slightly  recede  as  it  goes  up.  In  this  way  they  may  be 
piled  six  fleeces  high.  Where  the  character  of  the  flock  is  known,  or  that 
of  the  seller  relied  on,  it  makes  little  difference.  It  is  considered  fairest 
to  pile  the  fleeces  without  any  discrimination  as  to  quality,  in  the  wool- 
room.  

Sacking  Wool. — When  the  wool  is  sold,  or  when  it  must  be  sent  away 
to  find  a  market,  it  is  put  up  in  bales  nine  feet  long,  formed  of  40-inch 
"  burlaps."  The  mouth  of  the  sack  is  sowed,  with  twine,  round  a  strong 
hoop  (riveted  together  with  iron,  and  kept  for  the  purpose.)  and  the  body 
of  it  is  let  down  through  a  circular  aperture  in  the  floor  of  the  wool-room.* 
The  hoop  rests  on  the  edge  of  the  aperture,  and  the  sack  swings  clear  of 
the  floor  beneath.  A  man  enters  the  sack,  and  another  passes  the  fleeces 
down  to  him.  After  covering  the  bottom  with  a  layer,  he  places  a  fleece 
in  the  center  and  forces  down  others  around  it,  and  so  on  to  the  top,  which 
is  then  sowed  up.  Each  fleece  should  be  placed  regularly  with  the  hovds, 
and  then  stamped  down  as  compactly  as  possible,  so  that  the  bale  when 
completed  shall  be  hard  and  well  filled  in  every  part.  The  bulk  of  a  eiven 
weight  of  wool  will  be  greatly  affected  by  the  care  with  which  this  pro- 
cess is  performed. 

Those  who  do  not  expect  buyers  to  come  and  look  at  their  wool,  sack 
it  immediately  after  shearing.  A  temporaiy  scaffolding  is  erected  neax 
*  It  is  to  aecore  this  conTenience  that  the  wool-room  is  best  placed  on  the  second  floor. 


190 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


the  wool  as  deposited  by  the  tyer,  and  one  man  tosses  up  fleeces  to  a  sec- 
ond, who  catches  them  and  passes  them  down  to  the  man  in  the  sack.  A 
light  frame,  to  suspend  the  sack,  and  part  way  up  it  a  standing-place  for 
the  catcher,  would  be  a  convenient  appendage  to  the  establishment  of  a 
wool-grower  who  does  not  store  his  wool  in  a  wool-room.  With  a  set  of 
stairs  up  to  his  midway  standing-place,  an  active  fellow  would  keep  the 
treader  supplied,  without  any  assistance. 

In  the  absence  of  any  agreement,  the  price  of  wool,  delivered  at  che 
residence  of  the  purchaser,  does  not  include  the  cost  of  sacks  and  sacking. 
It  is  customary,  however,  for  growers  of  small  parcels,  and  those  who 
keep  no  conveniences  for  sacking,  to  carry  their  wool  tied  up  in  sheets, 
&c.,  and  deliver  it  to  the  purchaser  at  the  nearest  village  or  other  point, 
where  he  has  made  arrangements  for  sacking. 


Selection. — The  necessity  of  annually  weeding  the  flock,  by  excluding 
all  its  members  falling  below  a  certain^tandard  of  quality,  and  what  the 
points  are  to  which  reference  should  be  had  in  establishing  that  standard, 
have  already  been  sufficiently  adverted  to  in  discussing  the  principles  of 
breeding.  The  time  of  shearing  is  by  far  the  most  favorable  one  for  the 
flockmaster  to  make  his  selection.  He  should  be  present  on  the  shearing- 
floor,  and  inspect  the  fleece  of  every  sheep  as  it  is  gradually  taken  off".  If 
there  is  a  fault  about  it,  he  will  then  discover  it  better  than  at  any  other 
time.  A  glance,  too,  reveals  to  him  every  fault  of  form,  previously  con- 
cealed wholly  or  in  part,  by  the  wool,  as  soon  as  the  newly  shorn  sheep 
is  permitted  to  stand  on  its  feet.  He  takes  down  the  number  and  age  of 
the  sheep  on  his  tablet,  and  if  not  sufficiently  defective  in  form  or  quality 
of  fleece  to  call  for  its  condemnation,  in  a  pair  of  scales  suspended  near  the 
wool-tyer's  table,  he  determines  the  weight  of  the  fleece.  If  this,  too,  is 
satisfactory,  he  marks  "  retained  "  opposite  the  sheep's  number  on  his  tab- 
let. If  more  or  less  defective  in  any  point,  he  weighs  this  against  the 
other  points — taking  also  into  consideration  the  age  of  the  sheep,  its  char- 
acter as  a  breeder,  its  nursing  properties,  quietness  of  disposition,  &c. — 
and  then,  in  view  of  all  these  points,  the  question  of  retention  or  exclusion 
is  settled.  A  remarkably  choice  ewe  is  frequently  kept  until  she  dies  of 
old  age.  A  poorish  nurse  or  breeder  would  be  excluded  for  the  lightest 
fault,  and  so  on.  I  have  been  in  the  habit,  for  a  number  of  years,  of  using 
a  book  kept  for  this  purpose,  each  page  being  ruled  and  headed  thus  : 


Number.         i  Qual.  of  Fleece. 


27,  '42 
30,  '44 


Wt.  of  Fleece. 


Conclusion. 


The  figures  in  the  first  column  signify  No.  27  of  the  year  1842,  and  No. 
30  of  the  year  1844.  The  letters  in  the  succeeding  columns  stand  for  the 
words  "  prime,"  "  fair,"  "  ordinary,"  and  "  bad  " — marking  the  gradations 
of  quality.  The  letters  in  the  last  column  signify  "  retained,"  or  "  ex- 
cluded." Such  a  record  will  lead  to  far  greater  accuracy  than  by  any 
other  method,  and  it  is  extremely  valuable  for  purposes  hereafter  to  be 
stated. 

If  the  sheep  are  not  numbei'ed,  the  flock-master  should  note  each  appear- 
ance, as  above  directed,  have  the  sheep  held  by  the  neck  by  an  assistant, 
or  discharged  by  the  shearer  into  a  small  pen  at  the  door  for  that  purpose, 
until  the  fleece  is  weighed,  and  then  if  he  decides  to  exclude  it,  he  gives 
it  a  small  mark  on  the  shoulder,  consisting  of  Venetian  Red  and  hog's  lard, 
(conveniently  applied  with  a  brush  or  cob.) 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  191 

Markint.  Sheep. — Tlie  sheep  should  be  maiketl  soon  after  slieaiiiiir,  or 
mistakes  may  occur.  Every  owner  of  slieep  slioukl  be  ])rovi(h(l  with  a 
marking  instrument,  which  will  stamp  his  initials,  or  some  other  distinctive 
mark,  such  as  a  small  circle,  (nal,  triangle,  square,  &c.,  at  a  single  stroke, 
and  with  u/ii/onni///,  on  the  slieep.  It  has  been  customary  here,  to  have 
the  mark  cut  out  of  a  plate  of  thin  iron,  with  an  iron  handle  terminated  by 
wood.  But  one  made  by  cutting  a  type  or  raised  letter  (or  chaiacter)  on 
the  end  of  a  stick  of  light  wood,  such  as  pine  or  basswood,  is  found  to  be 
better.  If  the  pigment  used  be  thin,  and  the  marker  be  thrust  into  it  a 
little  too  deeply,  as  often  happens,  the  surplus  will  not  run  off  from  the 
wood,  as  from  a  thin  sheet  of  iron,  to  daub  tlie  sides  of  the  sheep,  and 
spoil  the  appearance  of  the  mark;  and  if  the  pigment  be  applied  /lot,  the 
former  will  not,  like  the  latter,  get  heated,  and  increase  the  danger  of 
burning  the  hide.  Vai'ious  pigments  are  used.  Many  boil  tar  until  it 
will  assume  a  glazed,  hard  consistency,  when  cold,  and  give  it  a  brilliant 
black  ct)lm-  by  stirring  in  a  little  lamp-black  when  boiling.  It  is  apj)lied 
when  just  cold  enough  not  to  burn  tlie  sheep's  hide,  and  it  forms  a  bright, 
conspicuous  mark  the  year  round.  I  have  always  used  this,  though  the 
manufacturer  would  prefer  the  substitution  of  oil  and  turpentine  for  tar, 
as  the  latter  is  cleansed  out  of  the  wool  with  some  difficulty.  I  boil  it  in 
a  high-sided  iron  vessel  (to  prevent  it  from  taking  fire)  on  a  small  furnace 
or  chafing-dish  near  where  it  is  to  be  used.  When  cool  enougli,  forty  or 
fifty  sheep  can  be  marked  before  it  gets  too  stiff.  It  is  then  warmed  from 
time  to  time,  as  necessary,  on  the  chafing-dish.  The  rump  is  a  better  place 
to  mark  than  the  side.  The  mark  is  about  as  conspicuous  on  the  former, 
under  any  circumstances,  and  it  is  more  so  when  the  sheep  are  huddled  in 
a  pen,  or  when  they  are  running  away  from  you.  And  should  any  wool 
be  injured  by  the  mark,  that  on  the  rump  is  less  valuable  than  that  on  the 
side.  It  is  customary  to  drstinguish  ewes  from  wethers  by  marking  them 
on  different  sitles  of  the  rump. 

Many  mark  each  sheep  as  it  is  discharged  from  the  barn  by  the  shearer. 
It  consumes  much  less  time  to  do  it  at  one  job,  after  the  shearing  is  com- 
pleted ;  and  it  is  necessary  to  take  the  latter  course,  if  a  hot  pigment  is 
used.  

Cold  Storms  after  Shearing. — These  sometimes  destroy  sheep,  in 
this  latitude,  soon  after  shearing — particularly  the  delicate  Saxons.  I  have 
known  forty  or  fifty  perish  out  of  a  single  flock,  from  one  night's  expo- 
sure. The  remedy,  or  rather  the  preventive,  is  to  house  them,  or  in  de- 
fault of  the  necessary  fixtures  to  effect  this,  to  drive  them  into  dense  for- 
ests. I  presume,  however,  this  would  be  a  calamity  of  rare  occurrence  in 
the  "  sunny  South."  

Sun-Scald — Might  be  more  common.  When  sheep  are  sheared  close 
in  very  hot  weather — have  no  shade  in  their  pastures — and  particularly 
where  they  are  driven  immediately  considerable  distances,  or  rapidly,  over 
burning  and  dusty  roads,  their  backs  are  so  scorched  by  the  sun  that  the 
wool  comes  off.  It  is  not  common,  however,  here.  You  may  see  one 
such  in  a  flock  of  a  hundred.  Let  alone,  the  matter  is  not  a  serious  one, 
but  the  application  of  refuse  lard  to  the  back  will  accelerate  the  cure,  and 
the  starting  of  the  wool.  

Ticks. — These,  when  very  numerous,  greatly  annoy  and  enfeeble  sheep 
in  the  winter,  and  should  be  kept  entirely  out  of  the  flock.  After  shear- 
ing, the  heat  and  cold,  the  rubbing  and  biting  of  the  sheep  soon  drive  off 


192 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


DIPPING-BOX. 


the  tick,  and  it  takes  refuge  in  the  long  wool  of  the  lamb.  Wait  a  fort- 
night after  shearing,  to  allow  aU  to  make  this  transfer  of  residence.  Then 
boil  refuse  tobacco  leaves  until  the  decoction  is  strong  enough  to  kill  ticks 
beyond  a  peradventure.  This  may  be  readily  tested  by  experiment. 
Five  or  six  pounds  of  cheap  plug  tobacco,  or  an  equivalent  in  stems,  &c., 
may  be  made  to  answer  for  100  lambs.  The  decoction  is  poured  into  a 
deep,  nan-ow  box,  kept  for 

this  purpose,  and  which  has  1^'g  27. 

an  inclined  shelf  one  one  side, 
covered  with  a  wooden  grate, 
as  shown  in  the  cut.  One 
man  holds  the  lamb  by  the 
hind  legs,  another  clasps  the 
fore-legs  in  one  hand,  and 
shuts  the  other  about  the 
nostrils  to  prevent  the  liquid 
enteriiiQ'  them,  and  then  the 
lamb  is  entirely  immersed. 
It  is  immediately  lifted  out, 
laid  on  one  side  on  the  grate, 
and  the  water  squeezed  out 
of  its  wool.  It  is  then  turned 
over  and  squeezed  on  the 
other  side.  The  grate  con- 
ducts the  fluid  back  into  the 
box.  If  the  lambs  are  regu- 
larly dipped  every  year,  ticks  will  never  trouble  a  flock. 

The  effect  of  tobacco  water  in  scab,  will  be  hereafter  adverted  to. 

Maggots. — Rams  with  horns  gi'owing  closely  to  their  heads,  are  very 
liable  to  have  maggots  generated  under  them,  particularly  if  the  skin  on 
the  surrounding  parts  gets  broken  in  fighting,  and  these,  if  not  removed, 
soon  destroy  the  sheep.  Both  remedy  and  preventive  is  boiled  tar — or  the 
marking  substance  heretofore  described.  Put  it  under  the  bonis,  at  the 
time  of  marking,  and  no  trouble  will  ever  arise  fi-om  this  cause.  Some- 
times when  a  sheep  scours  in  warm  weather,  and  clotted  dung  adheres 
about  the  anus,  maggots  are  generated  under  it,  and  the  sheep  perishes 
miserably.  Preventive  :  remove  the  dung.  Remedy  :  remove  the  dung 
and  maggots,  the  latter  by  touching  them  with  a  little  turpentine,  and 
then  apply  sulphur  and  grease  to  the  excoriated  surface. 

Maggot  flies,  says  Blacklock,  sometimes  deposit  their  eggs  on  the  lacks 
of  the  long,  opcn-wooled  English  sheep,  and  the  maggots  during  the  few 
days  before  they  assume  the  pupa  state,  so  tease  and  irritate  the  animal, 
that  fever  and  death  are  the  consequence.  Tar  and  turpentine,  or  butter 
and  sulphur,  smeared  over  the  parts  are  given  as  the  preventives.  The 
INlerino  and  Saxon  are  exempt  from  these  attacks. 

Shortening  the  Horns. — A  convolution  of  the  honi  of  a  ram  sometimes 
so  presses  in  upon  the  side  of  the  head  or  neck,  that  it  is  necessary  to  shave 
or  rasp  it  away  on  the  under  side,  to  prevent  ultimately  fatal  effects.  The 
point  of  the  horn  of  the  ram  and  ewe  both  not  unfrequently  turn  in  so 
that  they  will  grow  into  the  flesh  and  sometimes  into  the  eye,  unless 
shortened.  The  toe-nippers  will  often  suffice  on  the  thin  extremity  of  a 
horn,  but  if  not,  a  fine  saw  must  be  used.  The  marking  time  is  the  best 
one  to  attend  to  this. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  193 

Division  op  Flocks. — It  is  customary  at,  or  soon  after  slieaiinir,  to  make 
those  divisions  in  large  flocks,  which  utility  deniands.  It  is  better  to  have 
not  to  exceed  two  hundred  sheep  run  to<;ether  in  the  pastures,  though  the 
numher  might  perhaps  be  safely  increased  to  three  hundred,  if  the  range 
is  extensive.  Wethers  and  dry  ewes  to  l)e  turned  oH",  should  be  kept  sep- 
arate from  the  nursing-ewes,  and  if  the  flock  is  sufKciently  numerous  to 
require  a  third  division,  it  is  customary  to  j)Ut  the  yearling  and  two-year- 
old  ewes  and  wethers  and  the  old,  feeble  sheep  together.  It  is  better  in 
all  cases  to  separate  the  rams  from  all  the  other  sheep,  at  the  time  of 
shearing,  and  to  inclose  them  in  a  particularly  well-fenced  field.  If  put 
even  witli  wethers,  they  are  more  cpiarrelsome,  and  when  cool  nights  ar- 
rive, will  worry  themselves  and  waste  their  flesh  in  constant  ettorts  to  ride 
the  wethers.  The  Merino  ram  is  a  (juiet  animal  compaied  with  the  com- 
mon-wooled  one,  but  poor  fences,  or  fences  half  the  time  down,  will  tempt 
him  to  jump,  and  if  once  taught  this  trick,  he  becomes  very  troublesome 
as  the  rutting  period  approaches,  unless  hoppling,  yoking,  clogging,  or 
"  poking  "  is  resorted  to — either  of  which  causes  the  animal  to  waste  his 
fltjsh  and  strength,  and  are  the  causes  of  frequent  accidents. 

HopPLi.vG,  Clogging,  &c. — Hoppling  is  done  by  sowing  the  ends  of  a 
leathern  strap  (broad  at  the  extremities  so  that  it  will  not  cut  into  the 
flesh)  to  a  fore  and  hind  leg,  just  above  the  pastern  jinnts — leaving  the  legs 
at  about  the  natural  distance  apart.  Clogging  is  fastening  a  billet  of  wood 
to  the  fore  leg  by  a  leather  strap.  Yoking  is  fastening  two  rams  two  or 
three  feet  apart,  by  bows  around  their  necks,  inserted  in  a  light  piece  of 
timber,  say  two  by  three  inches  in  size.  Poking  is  done  by  inserting  a 
bow  in  a  short  bit  of  light  timber,  into  which  bit  (worn  on  the  under  side 
of  the  neck)  a  rod  is  inserted  which  projects  a  couple  of  feet  in  front  of 
the  sheep.  These,  and  similar  devices,  to  prevent  rams  scaling  fences,  may 
be  employed  as  a  last  resort,  by  those  improvident  farmers  who  prefer  bv 
such  troublesome,  injurious,  and  at  best,  insecure  means,  to  guard  as^ainst 
that  viciousness  which  they  might,  so  much  more  easily,  have  prevented 
from  being  acquired.  

Dangerous  Rams. — From  being  teased  and  annoyed  by  boys,  or  petted 
and  played  with  when  young — and  sometimes  without  any  other  stimulant 
than  a  naturally  vicious  temper — rams  occasionally  become  very  trouble- 
some by  their  propensity  to  attack  men  or  cattle.  I  know  of  one  for 
which  his  owner  has  refused  S250,  which  will  permit  no  man  to  enter  the 
field  with  him  without  making  an  immediate  onset  on  him.  I  have  known 
several  that  would  knock  down  the  ox  or  horse  which  presumed  to  dis- 
pute the  possession  of  a  lock  of  hay  with  them.  A  ram  which  is  known 
to  have  acquired  this  propensity  should  at  once  be  hooded,  and,  if  not 
valuable,  at  the  proper  season  converted  into  a  wether  by  '*  cording."  But 
the  courage  thus  manifested,  is  usually  the  concomitant  of  great  strength 
and  vigor  of  constitution — and  of  a  powerfully  developed  frame.  If  good 
in  other  particulars,  it  is  a  pity  to  lose  the  services  of  such  an  animal.  I 
have  in  several  such  instances  hooded  them,  by  covering  their  faces  with 
leather  in  such  a  manner  that  they  could  only  see  a  little  backward  and 
downward.  They  must  then,  however,  be  kept  apart  from  the  flock  of 
rams,  or  they  will  soon  be  killed  or  injured  by  blows,  which  they  cannot 
see  to  escape. 

It  sometimes  happens  that  a  usually  quiet  tempered  ram  will  suddenly 
exhibit  some  pugnacity  when  you  are  salting  or  feeding  the  flock.  If  you 
tuni   to   run,  you   are  immediately  knocked  down,  and  the  ram  learns,  at 

2B 


194 


SHEEP    HUSBANDRY   IN   THE    SOUTH. 


that  single  lesson,  the  secret  of  his  mastery,  and  the  propensity  to  exercise 
it.  The  ram  giving  his  blow  from  the  summit  of  the  parietal  and  the  pos- 
terior portion  of  the  frontal  bones  on  the  top  of  the  head,  (and  not  from  the 
forehead,)  couches  his  head  so  low  when  he  makes  his  onset,  that  he  does 
not  see  forward  well  enough  to  swerve  suddenly  from  his  right  line,  and  a 
iew  quick  motions  to  the  right  and  left  enable  you  to  escape  him.  Run  in 
upon  him,  as  lie  dashes  by  you,  with  pitchfork,  club,  or  boot-heel — punish- 
ing him  severely  by  blows,  (about  the  head  if  the  club  is  used,)  and  giving 
him  no  time  to  rally  until  he  is  thoroughly  cowed.* 

Fences. — Poor  fences  will  teach  ewes  and  wethers  to  jump,  as  well  as 
rams,  and  for  a  jumping  flock  there  is  no  remedy  but  immoderately  high 
fences,  or  extirpation.  One  jumper  will  soon  teach  the  trick  to  a  whole 
flock,  and  if  one  by  chance  is  bought  in,  it  should  be  immediately  hoppled 
or  killed.     The  last  is  by  far  the  surest  and  safest  remedy. 

Salt.— Salt,  in  my  judgment,  is  indispensable  to  the  health  of  sheep, 
particularly  in  the  summer — and  I  know  not  a  flock-master  among  the  hun- 
dreds, nay,  thousands  with  whom  I  am  acquainted,  who  differs  with  me  in 
this  opinion.  It  is  common  to  give  it  once  a  week  while  the  sheep  are  at 
grass. 

It  is  still  better  to  give  them  free  access  to  salt  at  all  times,  by  keeping 
it  in  a  covered  box,  open  on  one  side,  like  the  following: 

A   large    hollow  log, 
with  holes  cut  along  the  Fig.  28. 

side,  f(jr  the  insertion 
of  the  beads  of  the  sheep 
wall  make  a  respectable 
substitute.  A  sheep  hav- 
ing free  access  to  salt  at 
all  times,  will  never  eat 
too  much,  and  it  will  take 
its  supply  when  and  in 
what  quantities  Nature 
demands,  instead  of  eat- 
ing voraciously  at  stated 

periods,  as  intermedi;ite  abstinence  will  stimulate  it  do.  When  fed  but 
once  a  week,  it  is  better  to  have  a  stated  day,  so  that  it  will  not  be  fortfot- 
ten,  and  it  is  well  to  lay  the  salt  on  flat  stones,  though  if  laid  in  little 
handsfull  on  the  grass,  very  little  will  be  lost. 

Tar. — This  is  supposed  by  many  to  form  a  very  healthful  condiment  for 
sheep.  The  nose  of  the  sheep  is  smeared  with  it,  and  it  is  licked  and 
swallowed  as  the  natural  heat  of  the  flesh,  or  that  of  the  weather,  causes  it 
to  trickle  down  over  the  nostrils  and  lips.  Others,  suffering  the  flock  to 
get  unusually  salt  hungry,  place  tar  upon  flat  stones,  or  in  troughs,  and 
then  scatter  salt  on  it,  so  that  both  shall  be  consumed  together.  Applied 
to  the  nose,  in  the  nature  of  a  cataplasm,  I  have  no  doubt  that  it  is  advan- 
tageous in  catarrhs — and  put  on  the  same  place,  at  the  proper  perif)ds,  it 
may  perhaps,  by  its  odor,  repel  the  visitations  of  the  fly  (CEstris  ovix),  the 
eggs  of  which  produce  the  "  grub  in  the  head."  As  a  medicine  it  may  be 
valuable,  and  even  as  a  detergent  in  the  case  specified,  but  as  a  condiment 


SALTI.NG-DU.X. 


*  This  mny  be  pronnunoed  hsrsh  "  measure  for  menpure,"  and  pome  may  think  it  would  tend  to  increase 
the  viiioui^ness  of  the  animRl.  KepoiUcd  iiisiHncfs  Hrvc  proved  the  contrary  to  me.  And  il"  their  mastery 
is  once  acknowledged,  it  is  never  forgotten  by  them. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  195 

simply,  for  a  perfectly  healtliy  animal,  I  confess  I  have  no  confidence  in  its 
utility.  

Water. — Water  is  not  indispensable  in  the  summer  pastures,  the  dews 
and  the  bucculencu  of  the  feed  answering  as  a  substitute.  IJut  my  impres- 
sion is  dtcid'jd  that  free  access  to  water  is  advantageous  to  sheep,  {)articu- 
larly  to  those  having  lambs  ;  and  I  should  consider  it  a  matter  of  import- 
ance on  a  sheep  farm,  to  arrange  the  j)astures,  if  practicable,  so  as  to 
bring  water  into  each  of  them.  

Shade. — No  one  who  has  observed  with  what  eagerness  sheep  seek 
shade  in  hot  weather,  and  how  they  pant  and  apparently  suffer  when  a  hot 
sun  is  pouring  down  on  their  nearly  naked  bodies,  will  doubt  that,  both  as 
a  matter  of  humanity  and  utility,  they  should  be  j)rovided,  during  the  hot 
summer  months,  with  a  lietter  shelter  than  that  afforded  by  a  common  rail 
fence.  Forest-trees  are  the  most  natural  and  best  shades,  and  it  is  as  con- 
trary to  utility  as  it  is  to  good  taste  to  strij)  them  entirely  from  the  sheep- 
walks.  A  strip  of  stone-wall  or  close  board  fence  on  the  south  and  west 
sides  of  the  pasture,  will  form  a  passable  substitute  for  trees.  But  in  the 
absence  of  all  these,  and  of  buildings  of  any  kind,  a  shade  can  be  cheaply 
constructed  of  poles  and  brush,  in  the  same  manner  as  the  sheds  of  the 
same  materials  for  winter  sheltei",  which  will  be  described  in  my  next  Letter. 

Weaning  Lambs. — Lambs  should  be  weaned  at  four  months  old.  It  is 
better  for  them,  and  much  better  for  their  dams.  The  lambs  when  taken 
away  should  be  put  for  several  days  in  a  field  distant  from  the  ewes,  that 
they  may  not  hear  each  other's  bleatings.  The  lambs  when  in  hearing  of 
their  dams,  continue  restless  much  longer,  and  they  make  constant  and 
fre(juently  successful  efforts  to  crawl  through  the  fences  which  separate 
them.  One  or  two  tame  old  ewes  are  turned  into  the  field  with  them  to 
teach  them  to  come  at  the  call,  find  salt  when  thrown  to  them,  and  eat 
grain,  &c.,  out  of  troughs  wlien  winter  approaches. 

The  lambs  when  weaned  should  be  put  on  the  freshest  and  tenderest 
feed.  1  have  usually  reserved  for  mine  the  grass  and  clover  sown,  the  pre- 
ceding spring,  on  the  grain  fields  which  were  seeded  down. 

The  dams,  on  the  contrary,  should  be  put  for  a  fortnight  on  short,  dry 
feed,  to  stop  the  flow  of  milk.  They  should  be  looked  to,  once  or  twice, 
and  should  the  bags  of  any  be  found  much  distended,  the  milk  should  be 
drawn  and  the  bag  washed  for  a  little  time  in  cold  water.  But  on  short 
feed,  they  rarely  give  much  trouble  in  this  particular.  When  properly 
dried  off,  they  should  be  put  on  good  feed  to  recruit,  and  get  in  condition 
for  winter.  

Fall  Feeding. — In  the  North,  the  grass  often  gets  very  short  by  the 
10th  or  loth  of  November,  and  it  has  lost  much  of  its  nutiitiousness  from 
repeated  freezing  and  thawing.  At  this  time,  though  no  snow  has  yet 
fallen,  it  is  best  to  give  the  sheep  a  light  daily  foddering  of  bright  hay — 
or  a  few  oats  in  the  bundle.  Given  thus  for  the  ten  or  twelve  days  which 
precede  the  covering  of  the  ground  by  snow,  fodder  pays  for  itself  as  well 
as  at  any  other  time  during  the  year.  I  have  usually  fed  oats  in  the  bun- 
dle, or  threshed  oats,  (about  a  gill  to  the  head,)  in  the  feeding-troughs, 
carried  to  the  fields  for  that  purpose. 

Tue  Crook. — This  implement  has  been  several  times  alluded  to  as  a 
convenient  one  for  catching  sheep.     It  is  made  in  the  form  exhibited  iu 


19G 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


Fie.  29. 


the  cut,  of  f-inch   round  iron,  drawn   smaller  toward  the  point — and  the 
point  made  safe  by  a  knob.     The   other  end  is  furnished 
with   a   socket,  which  receives    a  handle  six  or  eisjht  feet 
long.     The  manner  of  using  it  is  thus  described  in  Mr.  Ste- 
phens's admirable  "  Book  of  the  Farm  "  : 

"  The  hind-leg  is  hooked  in  at  a,  from  behind  the  sheep,  and  it  fills  up 
the  ii;inovv  part  beyond  a,  wliile  passing  along  it  until  it  reaches  the  looj), 
wlien  the  animal  is  caught  by  the  hock,  and  when  secured,  its  foot  ea- 
sily slips  through  the  loop.  Some  caution  is  required  in  using  the  crook, 
for  should  the  sheep  give  a  sudden  start  forward  to  get  away,  the  mo- 
ment it  feels  the  crook  the  leg  will  be  drawn  forcibly  through  the  narrow 
part,  and  strike  the  bone  with  such  violence  against  the  bend  of  the  loop 
as  to  cause  the  animal  considerable  pain,  and  even  occasion  lameness  for 
some  days.  On  first  embracing  the  leg,  the  crook  should  be  drawn 
quickly  towai'd  you,  so  as  to  bring  the  bend  of  the  loop  against  the  leg  as 
Ijigh  up  as  the  hock,  before  the  sheep  has  time  even  to  break  off,  and  be- 
ing secure,  its  struggles  will  cease  the  moment  your  hand  seizes  the  leg." 


SHEPHERD  S 
CROOK. 


No  flock-master  shotild  be  without  this  implement,  as  it 
saves  a  vast  deal  of  yarding,  running,  &c.,  and  leads  to 
a  prompt  examination  of  every  improper  or  suspicious  ap- 
pearance, and  a  timely  application  of  remedy  or  preven- 
tive— which  would  often  be  deferred  if  the  whole  flock  had 
to  be  driven  to  a  distant  yard,  to  enable  the  shepherd  to 
catch  a  particular  sheep. 

Dexterity  in  the  use  of  the  crook  is  speedily  acquired  by  any  one ;  and 
if  a  flock  are  properly  tame,  any  one  of  its  number  can  be  readily  caught 
by  it,  at  salting-time — or,  generally,  at  other  times,  by  a  person  with  whom 
the  flock  are  familiar.  But  it  is  at  the  lambing-time,  when  sheep  and  lambs 
require  to  be  so  repeatedly  caught,  that  the  crook  is  more  particularly  ser- 
viceable. For  this  purpose,  at  this  time  alone,  it  will  pay  for  itself  ten 
times  over  in  a  single  season,  in  saving  time,  to  say  nothing  of  the  advan- 
tage of  the  sheep. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  107 


LETTER  XIII. 

WINTER  M.VNAGEMKNT  OF  SHEEP, 

Vte  of  Rums — proper  age,  number,  ic— «>electing  ewe«  for — difforent  methods  of  couplinc — wny  to  treat 
nun3...nivi»ioii  ol  KU>ck«  for  WinKT. .  .The  Hospital ...  VHrcIs — when  necessnrj-..  .Feuding-Rjteks — vari- 
ous plans  oI' — the  Box  Hack — the  Hole  Ilnck — th>;  riparred  Rack — the  Hopper  ilack — their  respective  ad- 
Tant«:;e» — improveinetits  suiijjested..  .lYoujihs..  .Cim  in- Boxes. .  .Barns  luid  r'heds — necessity  of  shelter  at 
the  North — the  common  Northern  Sheep-liam..  .t'tells — the  Outside  Stell — Ancient  i>lell8 — Inside  Circular 
l<tell— Circular  i^tell  tiueJ  up  with  racks. .  .Tree-Coverts. .  .Cheap  J?hed8 — fitted  between  flacks,  barracks, 
&.C..  .Value  of  Barracks  for  the  I'reeervarion  of  Kodder..  .The  Main  Sheep-Barn  of  the  Karm  or  Plantation, 
with  Sheariiiii-Kloor.  ic— arrangements  for  breeding-ewe?. .  .Feeding  sheep  in  yards  with  other  stock — 
impro[K'r — reasons. . -Hay-Holdei-s..  .Winter  Dry  Feed  for  Sheep — \'ariation8  in  Feed — German  views  on 
this  subject — proper  kinds  of  fodder — Bouasingault's  Table  of  the  Nutritive  Equivalents  of  dillerent  kinds 
of  Fodders. .  .KH'oct  of  Food  in  the  Production  of  Wool — De  Heaumur's  Table  showing  the  F^tl'ects  of  Food 
in  this  particular..  .F'.rtect  of  Food  in  producing  Fat  and  Muecle.  ..Fattening  Wethers  in  the  North..  .F'eed- 
ing  Grain  to  Store-Sheep  in  Winter — when  practi'-ed  at  the  North — economy  of  so  doing — kinds  of  erain 
preferred — necessity  of  regularity  in  quantity — difficulty  of  raising  the  condition  of  poor  shet-p  in  the  win- 
ter  F'eeding  Kools,  Browse,  &c  — Routs  a  Substitute  lor  (irain — to  what  sheep  they  may  be  fed — Hera- 
lock  Browse — when  and  in  what  manner  useful — substitutes  for... Winter  feed  of  Bi'eediDg-Lwe8...Ne. 
ce«8iiy  of  regularity  in  the  times  of  feeding  sheep...  Salt..  .Water. 

Dear  Sir :  As  the  turning  out  of  the  rams  usually  takes  place,  here,  on 
the  first  day  of  winter,  I  will  describe  the  proper  accompanying  airange- 
ments,  as  the  first  step  in  winter  management. 

Use  of  R.\ms. — The  period  of  gestation  in  the  ewe  averages  five  months. 
Merino  rams  are  frequently  used  from  the  first  to  the  tenth  year,  and  even 
longer.  The  lambs  of  very  old  rams  are  not  supposed  to  be  as  vigorous 
as  those  of  youngish  or  middle-aged  ones,  but  where  rams  have  not  been 
overtasked,  and  have  been  properly  fed,  I  confess  I  have  been  able  to  dis- 
cover very  little  difference  in  their- progeny  on  account  of  age.  Aram 
lamb  should  not  be  used,  as  it  retards  his  growth,  injures  his  form,  and,  I 
think,  permanently  impairs  his  vifjor  and  coui'age.  A  yearling  may  run 
with  30  ewes,  a  two-year-old  with  from  40  to  50,  and  a  three-year-old 
with  from  50  to  60.  Some  very  powerful,  mature  rams  will  serve  70  or 
80  ewes ;  but  50  is  enough,  where  they  rtin  with  the  ewes.  I  am  satisfied 
that  an  impoverished  and  overtasked  animal  does  not  transmit  his  indi- 
vidual properties  so  decidedly  to  his  offspnng  as  one  in  full  vigor. 

Several  rams  running  in  the  same  flock  excite  each  other  to  an  unnat- 
ural and  unnecessary  activity,  besides  injuring  each  other  by  constant 
blows.  It  is,  in  every  point  of  view,  bad  husbandry,  where  it  can  be 
•evoided,  and,  as  usually  managed,  is  destructive  to  everything  like  careful 
and  judicious  breeding.  The  nice  adaptation  which  the  male  should  pos- 
sess to  the  female,  already  discussed  under  the  head  of  Principles  of 
Breeding — counterbalancing  her  defects  with  his  own  marked  excellence 
in  thg  same  points,  and,  in  turn,  having  his  defects  counterbalanced  by 
her  excellencies — how  shall  this  be  accomplished,  where  half  a  dozen  or 
more  rams  are  running  promiscuously  with  two  or  three  hundred  ewes  1 

Before  the  rams  are  let  out,  the  flock-master  should  have  all  the  breed- 
ing-ewes brouffht  tofrether  in  one  yard.  He  has  carefully  inspected  his 
stock  rams  and  noted  every  defect  and  peculiarity  of  their  fleeces  and 
forms.  The  breeding  register  is  before  him  to  settle  every  pediijiee,  pro- 
vided his  stock  rams  are  nearly  enough  connected  with  some  portions  of 
the  flock  to  render  it  necessary  to  guard  atrainst  in-and-in  breeding.  The 
shepherd  catches   a   ewe  and  places  her  before  him.     The  pedigree  being 


198  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

determined,  he  first  notes  her  form,  and  then  opening  the  wool  on  the 
shoulder,  thigh  and  belly,  notes  the  length,  thickness,  quality,  and  style  of 
the  staple.  If  he  kept  the  minutes  at  shearing  recommended  by  me  (un- 
der the  head  of  "  Selection")  it  will  save  much  time  and  lead  to  far  more 
accurate  classification.  When  every  point  in  the  ewe  is  determined,  he 
decides  which  ram,  on  the  whole,  is  best  calculated  to  perpetuate  her  ex- 
cellencies both  of  fleece  and  carcass,  and  best  counterbalance  her  defects 
in  their  mutual  offspring.  With  a  pigment  composed  of  Venitian  red  and 
hog's  lard,  he  then,  as  has  been  already  mentioned  under  the  head  of 
Registering,  gives  the  ewe  a  mark  which  will  last  until  the  next  shearing, 
which  will  show  by  what  ram  she  was  tupped.  Those  selected  for  each 
ram  are  placed  in  different  inclosures,  and  the  chosen  ram  placed  with 
them.  In  four  M-eeks'  time,  the  rams  are  withdrawn,  and  the  flocks 
doubled  or  otherwise  rearranged  for  winter,  as  may  be  necessary.  This 
looks  like  taking  considerable  trouble,  but  having  practiced  it  for  years 
on  my  farm,  and  having  always  made  these  selections  myself,  I  know 
that  in  reality  the  trouble  is  very  slight — nothing,  when  the  beneficial  re- 
sults are  taken  into  consideration.  With  a  couple  assistants,  to  catch,  a 
day  would  suffice  for  effecting  the  projDer  classification  and  division  of  sev- 
eral hundred  ewes. 

Where  choice  rams  are  scarce,  so  that  it  is  an  object  to  make  the  ser- 
vices of  one  go  a  great  way — or  where  it  is  impossible  to  have  separate 
inclosures,  (as   on  farms  where  there  there   are   a 

great  number  of  breeding-ewes,  or  where  the  shep-      ^'g-  ^"- 

herd  system  is  adopted  to  the  exclusion  offences,) 
the  following  method  may  be  resorted  to.  Build  a 
hut  containing  as  many  apartments  as  you  wish  to 
use  rams,  with  an  alley  between  them.  That  part 
of  fig.  30  which  is  surrounded  by  black  lines  repre- 
sents the  hut  divided  into  four  apartments,  each  fur- 
nished with  a  feeding-box  and  trough  in  one  corner. 
Gates  or  bars  open  from  each  apartment  into  the 
alley,  and  at  each  end  of  the  alley.  The  dotted 
lines  inclose  a  yard  just  suflficient  to  hold  the  flock 
of  breeding-ewes. 

A  couple  of  strong  rams  (of  any  quality)  for  about 
every  hundred  ewes,  are  then  aproned,  their  brisk- 
ets rubbed  with  Venitian  red  and  hog's  lard,  and  they  are  let  loose  among 
the  ewes.  Aproning  is  performed  by  sewing  a  belt  of  coarse  sacking 
broad  enough  to  extend  from  the  fore  to  the  hind  legs,  loosely  but  strongly 
round  the  body.  To  prevent  its  slipping  forward  or  back,  straps  are  car- 
ried round  the  breast  and  back  of  the  breech.  It  is  indispensable  that  it 
be  m'a.AG  ]} erf ectly  scmire,  or  all  the  labor  of  this  method  of  coupling  will 
be  far  worse  than  thrown  away.  The  pigment  on  the  brisket  should  be 
renewed  every  two  or  three  days — and  it  will  be  necessary,  usually,  to 
change  the  "teasers,"  as  these  aproned  rams  are  called,  about  once  a 
week,  as  they  do  not  long  retain  their  courage  under  such  imnatural  cir- 
cumstances. Twice  a  day  the  ewes  are  brought  into  the  yard  in  front  of 
the  hut.  Those  marked  on  their  rumps  by  the  teasers  are  taken  into  the 
alley.  Each  is  admitted  to  the  ram  for  which  she  is  marked  once,  and 
then  goes  out  at  tlte  o'pi)Ositc  end,  of  the  alley  from  xchich  she  entered,  into  a 
sepai'ate  field  from  that  containing  the  flock  from  which  she  was  taken. 
A  powerful  and  vigorous  ram  from  three  to  seven  years  old,  and  properly 
fed,  can  thus  be  made  to  serve  from  150  to  even  200  ewes,  with  no  greater 
injury  than  from  running  loose  with  50  or  60. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  199 


This,  too.  looks  like  a  great  amount  of  labor  to  attain  the  result  sought, 
but  having  lia<l  it  formerly  praclicoil  for  two  years  on  my  farm,  1  know 
that  wluMi  comlucted  with  system,  and  by  a  prompt  and  handy  sheplierd, 
it  consumes  no  great  amount  of  time. 

Rams  will  do  better,  aceomplish  more,  and  last  two  or  three  years  long- 
er, if  daily  fed  with  grain,  w^heii  cm  service,  and  it  is  well  to  continue  it, 
gradually  decreasing  the  quantity,  for  a  few  days  after  they  are  witluhawn 
from  the  flock  of  ewes.  A  ram  should  receive  tlie  equivalent  of  from  half 
a  pint  to  a  pint  of  oats,  daily,  when  worked  hard.  They  are  much  more 
conveniently  fed  when  kept  in  huts.  If  suflered  to  run  at  large,  they 
should  be  so  thoroughly  tamed  that  they  will  eat  from  a  measure  held  by 
the  shepherd.  Careful  breeders  thus  train  their  stock-rams  from  the  time 
they  are  lambs.  It  is  very  convenient,  also,  to  have  them  halter-broke,  so 
that  they  can  be  led  about  without  dragging  or  lifting  them.  An  iron  ring 
attached  to  one  of  the  horns,  near  the  point,  to  which  a  cord  can  be  at- 
tached for  leading,  confining,  &c.,  is  very  useful  and  handy.  If  rams  are 
wild,  it  is  a  matter  of  considerable  difficulty  to  feed  them  separately,  and 
it  can  only  be  effected  by  yarding  the  flock  and  catching  them  out.  Some 
breeders,  in  addition  to  extra  feeding,  take  the  rams  out  of  the  flocks 
nights,  shutting  them  up  in  a  barn  or  stable  by  themselves.  There  is  no 
obje-clion  to  this  practice,  and  it  is  a  great  saving  of  their  strength. 

Rams  should  not  be  suffered  to  run  with  the  ewes  over  a  month,  at 
least  in  the  North.  It  is  much  better  that  a  ewe  go  dry  than  that  she 
have  a  lamb  later  than  the  first  of  June.  And  after  the  rutting  season  is 
over,  the  rams  q^row  cross,  frequently  striking  the  pregnant  ewes  danger- 
ous blows  with  their  heavy  horns,  at  the  racks  and  troughs. 

Division  of  Flocks. — If  flocks  are  shut  up  in  small  inclosures  durino- 
winter,  according  to  the  Northern  custom,  it  is  necessary  to  divide  them 
into  flocks  of  about  100  each,  to  consist  of  sheep  of  about  the  same  size 
and  strength.  Otherwise  the  stronger  rob  the  weaker,  and  the  latter  rap- 
idly decline.  This  would  not  be  so  important  where  the  sheep  roam  at 
large,  but  even  in  that  case  some  division  and  classification  are  necessary, 
— or,  at  all  events  best.  It  is  best,  indeed,  as  already  stated,  even  in  sum- 
mer. The  poorer  and  feebler  can  by  this  means  receive  better  pasture,  or 
a  little  more  grain  and  better  shelter  in  winter. 

By  those  who  grow  wool  to  any  extent,  breeding  ewes,  lambs,  and  weth- 
ers are  invariably  kept  in  separate  flocks  in  winter ;  and  it  is  best  to  keep 
yearling  sheep  by  themselves  with  a  few  of  the  smallest  two-yeai-olds,  and 
any  old  crones  which  are  kept  for  their  excellence  as  breeders,  but  which 
cannot  maintain  themselves  in  the  flock  of  breeding-ewes. 

Thk  Hospital. — Old  and  feeble,  or  wounded  sheep,  late-bom  lambs,  etc., 
should  be  placed  by  themselves,  if  the  number  does  not  even  exceed  a  score. 
They  recjuire  better  feed,  warmer  shelter,  and  more  attention.  But  after 
all,  unless  the  sheep  are  of  a  peculiarly  valuable  variety,  it  is  better  to  sell 
them  off"  in  the  fall  at  any  price, — or  to  give  them  to  some  poor  neighbor 
who  has  time  to  nurse  them,  and  who  may  thus  commence  a  flock. 

Yards. — Experience  has  amply  demonstrated,  that  in  the  climate  of  the 
Northern  and  Eastern  States — where  no  grass  s;rows  from  four  to  four  and 
a  half  months  in  the  winter — and  where,  therefore,  all  that  can  be  o])tain- 
ed  from  the  ground  is  the  repeatedly  frozen,  innutritions  herbage  left  in 
the  fall — it  is  better  to  keep  sheep  confined  in  yards,  excepting  where  the 
ground  is  covered  with  snow.     If  suffered  to  roam  over  the  fields  at  other 


200 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


times,  they  get  enough  grass  to  take  away  their  appetite  for  dry  hay,  but 
not  enough  to  sustain  them  ;  they  fall  away,  and  towards  spring  they  be- 
come weak,  and.  a  large  proportion  of  them  frequently  peiish.  I  speak, 
of  course,  of  flocks  of  some  size,  and  on  properly  stocked  farms.  A  few 
sheep,  with  a  boundless  range,  would  do  better. 

Some  of  our  flock-masters  let  out  their  sheep  occasionally  for  a  single 
day,  during  a  thaw  ;  others  keep  them  entirely  from  the  ground  until  let 
out  to  grass  in  the  spring.  I  prefer  the  former  course,  where  the  sheep 
ordinarily  get  nothing  but  dry  fodder.  It  afibrds  a  healthy  laxative,  and 
a  single  day's  grazing  will  not  take  off"  their  appetite  from  more  than  one 
succeeding  dry  feed.  It  is  necessary,  here,  to  keep  the  sheep  in  the  yards 
until  the  feed  has  got  a  good  start  in  the  spring,  or  they,  particularly 
breeding-ewes,  will  get  off"  from  their  feed,  and  get  weak  at  the  most  crit- 
ical time  for  them  in  the  year. 

Yards  should  be  firm-bottomed,  dry, — and  they  should,  (in  ^Aw  climate,) 
be  kept  well  littered  with  straw. 

My  impression  is  that  the  yarding  system  will  never  be  practiced  to  any 
extent  in  the  South.  It  certainly  should  not  be,  where  sheep  can  get  their 
living  from  the  fields.  How  far,  and  under  what  circumstances,  they  will 
do  this,  has  already  been  sufficiently  discussed  in  my  preceding  Letters. 

Feeding-Racks. — When  the  ground  is  frozen,  and  especially  when 
covered  with  snow,  the  sheep  eats  hay  better  on  the  ground  than  anywhere 
else.  When  the  land  is  soft,  muddy,  or  foul  with  manure,  they  will  scarce- 
ly touch  hay  placed  on  it.     It  should  then  be  fed  in  racks. 

These    are   of  various  forms. 

Fis.  31. 


^^  ^--.^-'>;-<-^gs-,iirfllimninm^ 


BOX  HACK. 


Figure  31  gives  the  common  box 
rack,  in  the  most  general  use  in 
the  North.  It  is  ten  feet  long, 
two  and  a  half  wide,  the  lower 
boards  a  foot  wide,  the  upper 
ones  about  ten  inches,  the  two 
about  nine  inches  apart,  and  the 
corner  posts  three  by  three,  or 
three  and.  a  half  by  two  and  a  half  inches.  The  boards  are  spiked  on  these 
posts  by  large  flat  headed  nails  wrought  for  the  purpose,  and  the  lower 
edges  of  the  upper  boards  and  the  upper  edges  of  the  lower  ones  are 
rounded  so  they  shall  not  wear  the  wool  off"  from  the  sheep's  necks.  The 
lower  boards  and  the  opening  for  the  heads,  should  be  two  or  three  inches 
narrower  for  lambs.  If  made  of  light  wood,  as  they  should  be,  a  man 
standing  in  the  inside  and  middle  of  one  of  these  racks,  can  easily  carry  it 
about — an  important  desideratum.  Unless  overfed,  sheep  waste  very  lit- 
tle hay  in  them. 

A  capital  shed  or  barn  rack  is  represented  in  the  following  cut.     The 

Fia.  30. 


HOLE  RACK. 


holes  are  eight  inches  wide,  nine  inches  high,  and  eighteen  inches  from 
center  to  center.     Sheep  do  not  crowd  and  take  advantage  of  each  other 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


201 


8o  much  witli  these  as  with  box  racks.  But  they  would  be  too  heavy  and 
unnecessarily  expensive  for  a  common  oiit-door  rack.  Fig.  32  represents 
a  box,  the  front  formed  of  a  board  nailed  on  horizontally,  but  they  are 
usually  formed  by  nailing  the  boards  pi-rpendicularly,  the  bottoms  on  the 
sill  of  a  barn,  and  the  tops  to  horizontal  ])iece8  of  timber. 

In  the  South,  as  in  England,  racks  will  not  be  so  necessary  for  that 
constant  use  to  which  they  are  j)ut  in  colder  countiies,  as  for  dvjwuiforics 
of  dry  food,  for  the  occ(tsion<il  visitation  of  the  sheep.  In  soft  warm 
weather,  when  the  ground  is  unfrozen,  and  any  kind  ot  green  herbage  is 
to  be  obtained,  sheep  will  scarcely  touch  dry  fodder — though  the  little  they 
will  then  eat  irill  be  hi<<;hlif  serviceable  to  them.  I3ut  in  a  sudden  freeze,  or 
on  the  occurrence  of  cold  storms,  they  will  resort  to  the  racks,  and  fill 
tiiemselveS  with  diy  food.  By  an  instinct  beautifully  illustrative  of  the 
providence  of  the  Creator,  sheep  anticipate  the  coming  storm,  and  eat  an 
e.xtra  quantity  of  food  to  sustain  the  animal  heat,  during  the  succeedinf 
depression  of  temperature.  They  should  always  have  racks  of  dry  fod- 
der to  resort  to  in  such  emergencies. 

Tiiese  occasionally  used  racks  should  have  covers  or  roofs  to  protect 
their  contents  from  rain,  as  otherwise  the  feed  would  be  often  spoiled  be- 
fore but  a  small  portion  of  it  was  consumed.  Hay  or  straw  saturated  with 
water,  or  soaked  and  dried,  is  only  eaten  by  the  sheep  as  a  matter  of  ab- 
solute necessity.  The  common  box  rack  (fig.  31)  would  answer  the  pur- 
pose very  well  by  placing  on  the  top  a  triangular  cover  or  roof  formed  of 
a  couple  of  boards,  (one  hung  at  the  upper  edge  with  iron  or  leather  hin- 
ges so  that  it  could  be  lifted  up  like  a  lid  ;)  making  the  ends  tight  ;  draw- 
ing in  the  lower  edges  of  the  sides  so  that  it  shall  not  be  more  than  a  foot 
wide  on  the  bottom  ;  inserting  a  flofu-;  and  then  mounting  it  on  and  mak- 
ing it  fast  to  two  cross  sills  four  or  five  inches  square  to  keep  the  floor  off 
from  the  ground,  and  long  enough  to  prevent  it  from  being  easily  overturn- 
ed. The  lower  side  board  should  be  narrower  than  in  fig.  31,  on  account 
of  the  increased  hight  given  its  upper  edge  by  the  sills. 

Still  better,  but  somewhat  more  expensive,  would  be  a  rack  of  the  same 
construction,  with  the  sides  like  those  of  fig.  32. 

Or,  the  sides  might  consist  of  rundles  as  in  fig.  33.  In  either  of  the 
preceding,  the  top  might  be  nailed  down,  and  the  fodder  inserted  by  little 
doors  in  the  ends. 

The  following  form  and  description  of  an  English  rack  is  from  the 
"  Book  of  the  Farm."* 


Fig.  33. 


SPARRED  RACK. 


"  I  have  founri,"  says  Mr.  Stephens,  "  this  form  convenient,  containing  as  mnch  straw  at 
a  time  as  should  be  given,  admitliug  the  straw  easily  into  it,  being  easily  moveil  about,  of 

*  It  will  be  found  in  the  reprint  of  thia  iplendid  work,  in  The  Farmers'  Library  toI.  ii.,  p.  4<9. 

2C 


202 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


easy  access  to  the  sheep,  and  bein^  so  near  the  ground  as  to  form  an  excellent  shelter.  It 
is  made  of  wood.  i,s  9  feet  in  leuglh,  4.^  feet  in  hight,  and  .3  feet  in  width,  having  a  .sparred 
rack  with  a  double  face  below,  wliich  is  covered  with  an  angled  roof  of  boards  to  throw  off 
the  raiii.  Tlie  rack  is  supported  on  two  triaugtilar-shaped  ti'essels  I,  shod  with  iron  at  the 
points,  which  are  pushed  into  the  ground,  and  act  as  st^ys  against  the  effects  of  the  wuid 
from  either  side.  The  billet  c,  fixed  on  the  under  or  acute  edge  of  the  rack,  rests  upon  the 
ground,  and  in  common  with  the  feet,  supports  it  from  bending  down  in  the  middle.     The 

lid  a  is  oj)ened  on  hinges  when  the  fodder  is  put  uito  the  rack Such  a  rack  is  easily 

moved  about  by  two  persons,  and  theii-  position  should  be  changed  according  to  a  change 
of  wind  indicative  of  a  8101111." 

I  used  racks  formed  of  rounds  (or  "spaired")  for  several  years,  and 
found  them  decidedly  object iovable.  The  sheep  grasping  a  lock  of  hay  in 
its  mouth,  brings  the  head  to  its  natural  position,  and  then  draws  in  the 
adhering  fibres  in  the  process  of  mastication.  But  when  eating  from  a 
rack,  it  will  not  pick  up  the  hay  which  it  drops  under  foot.  In  the  box  or 
hole  racks  (figs.  31  and  32)  most  sheep  will  not  withdraw  their  heads 
from  the  openings,  as  they  can  there  hold  them  in  the  ordinary  position 
for  mastication,  and  as,  if  they  step  back  to  do  so,  they  are  very  liable  to 
be  crowded  out  of  their  places.  The  hay,  therefore,  is  not  drawn  out  of 
the  rack,  and  if  any  is  dropped,  it  falls  within  it  and  is  saved.  At  a  sparred 
rack,  the  sheep  will  not  keep  its  nose  between  the  rundles  (in  a  horizon- 
tal or  upward  position)  until  it  detaches  a  mere  mouthfull  of  hay.  It  will, 
particularly  when  partly  sated,  twitch  out  its  fodder  prior  to  mastication, 
and  all  which  scatters  off  and  drops  to  the  ground,  is  trampled  under  foot 
and  wasted,  except  for  the  mere  purpose  of  manure.  A  considerable  loss 
will  always  result  fi-om  this  cause. 

And  there  is  another  objection  to  this  form  of  rack,  particularly  where 
it  runs  down  to  an  acute  edge  on  the  -bottom,  as  in  fig.  33.  The  sheep 
frequently  drawing  the  hay  from  the  lower  part,  will  shake  down  from 
above  hay-seeds  and  chaff  into  the  wool  on  their  head  and  necks  ;  and  the 
wind  will  sometimes  carry  these  as  far  as  their  shoulders  and  even  their 
backs.  As  heretofore  remarked,  these  cannot  be  washed  out,  and  they 
materially  lower  the  market  value  of  the  wool. 

The  following  rack  has  been  used  and  is  highly  approved  by  my  friend, 
George  Geddes,  Esq.,  of  Fairmount,  N.  Y.,  to  whom  I  am  indebted  for 
the  drawing  and  description  of  the  cut.  It  serves  both  for  a  rack  and 
feeding-trough. 

Fig.  34. 


THE  HOPPER-RACK. 

"  The  above  is  intended  to  represent  a  section  of  what  I  thbk  the  best  sheep-rack  I  have 
seen. 

"  A  piece  of  durable  wood  about  4J  feet  long,  6  or  8  inches  deep,  and  4  inches  thick, 
has  two  notches,  a,  a,  cut  into  it,  and  two  troughs,  made  of  inch  boards,  b,  b,  b,  b,  placed  in 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


203 


the§e  notches,  and  nailetl  fast,  constitutes  the  foiiiMliilion.  II"  the  rack  is  to  l)e  14  let-t  \oti3. 
tliree  sills  will  lie  n-quired.  The  etuis  ol  the  niik  are  niiule  liy  uuiliug  atfiiiii*!  tlin  ni(lf  <if 
the  sill-BoHids  that  rvnch  up  as  hit;h  as  it  is  dfsired  to  ha\  e  the  rack,  and  uail>  driven 
tliroiigh  these  eiid-boarils  into  the  ends  of  the  side-boards/,/,  secure  them.  The  sides 
may  he  farther  strenstheiied  by  pieces  uf  board  on  the  outside  of  llieni,  and  hited  into  ilie 
trough.  A  roof  may  be  put  over  all  if  desireil.  With  a  roof,  the  fodder  is  kept  eutirely 
from  the  weather,  uud  no  seeds  or  chatf  can  get  into  the  wool." 

Trougrs. — Thieshotl  grain,  clioppcd  roots,  Sec,  when  fed  to  sheep 
BhouKl  be  hiid  in  trout^hs.  With  any  of  th*'  preceding  forms  of  racks,  ex- 
cepting fig.  34,  a  separate  trough  would  be  recpiired.  For  a  number  of 
years  1  have  used  those  of  the  following  form,  and  have  found  them  every 
way  satisfactory. 

Fig.  35. 


SHEEP-TRODGH. 


One  of  the  side-boards  is  usually  about  ten  and  the  other  eleven  inches 
wide.  The  feet  are  commonly  of  two-inch  plank,  rising  high  enough  on 
the  sides  to  keep  the  sides  of  the  trough  fj.rm  in  their  places. 

In  our  snowy  climate  they  are  turned  over  after  feedintr,  and  when  falls 
of  snow  are  anticipated,  one  end  is  laid  on  the  yard  fence.* 

The  following  elaborately  ingenious  contrivance  for  keeping  gt-ain  where 
sheep  can  feed  on  it  at  tci/l,  is  from  the  "  Book  of  the  Farm,"  and  I  ap- 
pend the  author's  description  of  it.t 


Fig.  36. 


Fig.  37. 


VERTICAL  SECTIOS  OF  INTERIOR 
OF  GRAIN  BOX. 


GRAIN  BOX  FOR  SHEEP. 


"  There  is  a  mode  of  preserving  com  (grain)  for  sheep  on  turnips  which  hns  been  tried 
with  success  in  Fife.  It  con.^ists  of  a  box  like  a  hay-rai-k.  in  whicli  the  srniin  is  at  all 
times  kept  clo«ely  shut  up.  excejH  whtMi  sheep  wish  to  eat  it.  and  then  they  get  it  by 
a  simple  contrivance.  The  box  a  b  contains  the  grain,  into  which  it  is  ])onred  through  the 
small  hinged  liii  y.  The  cover  c  d  concealing  the  grain,  is  nlso  hinged,  and  when  elevated  the 
sheep  have  acceas  to  the  grain.  Its  elevation  is  etTected  by  the  pressure  of  tlie  slieep's  fore- 
feet upon  the  platform  e  f,  which,  moving  as  a  lever,  acts  upon  the  lower  ends  of  the  up- 
right rods  g  and  h,  mi.ses  them  up,  and  elevates  the  cover  c  d.  under  which  their  heads 
tlien  find  admittance  info  the  box.  A  similar  apparatffs  gives  them  access  to  the  other  side 
of  the  box.     The  whole  machine  can  bo  moved  about  to  convenieut  places  by  means  of 


♦  To  yon.  Sir,  liTing  on  the  ocean  shore  of  South  Carolina,  and  who,  I  think,  have  not  visited  th<>  North, 
In  the  depth  of  winter,  the  idea  of  a  farmer'*  finding  the  racks  used  liy  hun  the  day  before.  l>urif»d  und.-r 
from  pichteen  inches  to  three  feet  of  enow,  and  havins  to  di^  them  out,  may  be  rather  an  odd  one  !  But, 
nevertheless,  it  is  a  matter  of  no  vrry  rare  occurrence,  at  least  at  the  lowest  depth  meniicncU. 

t  See  Farmera'  Library,  vol.  li.,  No.  10,  p.  476. 


204  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

four  wheels.  The  construrrion  of  the  interior  of  the  box  being  somewhat  peculiar,  another, 
fig.  37,  is  given  as  a  vertical  section  of  it,  where  b  is  the  hinged  lid  by  which  the  giain 
is  put  into  the  box,  whence  it  is  at  once  received  into  the  hopper  d,  the  bottom  of  which 
being  open,  and  brought  near  that  of  the  box,  a  small  space  only  is  left  for  the  grain  to 
pass  into  the  box,  the  hopper  forming  the  grain-store ,  a  is  the  cover  of  the  box  raised 
on  its  hinges  by  the  rod  /,  acted  upon  by  the  platform  e  f,  fig.  3.5;  and.  when  in  this  po- 
sition, the  sheep  put  their  heads  below  a  at  c,  and  eat  the  grain  at  d.  Machines  of  simi- 
lar construction  to  this  have  also  been  devised  to  serve  poultry  with  gi-ain  at  will." 

I  never  have  thought  it  best  in  feeding  or  fattening  any  animals,  or,  at 
all  events,  any  quadrupeds,  to  allow  them  grain  at  will — preferring  stated 
feeds  ;  and  the  same  remark  is  applicable  to  fodder.  If  this  system  is  de- 
parted from  in  using  depository  racks,  as  heretofore  recommended,  it  is 
because  it  is  rendered  necessary  by  the  circumstances  of  the  case.  A  Me- 
rino store-sheep,  allowed  grain  ad  libitum.,  would  stand  a  chance  to  inflict 
an  injury  on  itself,  and  I  cannot  but  believe  that  grain  so  fed  would  gen- 
erally be  productive  of  more  injury  than  benefit. 

Barns  and  Sheds,  &c. — Sheep  barns  and  sheds,  at  the  North,  are  fre- 
quently made  very  elaborate  contrivances — particularly  on  ]ya2)er.  But 
expensive  barns,  with  feeding-cellars  and  other  anangements  for  keeping 
sheep  tcithin  doors  duiing  a  greater  portion  of  the  winter,  would,  it  strikes 
me,  be  entirely  out  of  place  in  the  South.  Even  in  our  rigorous  climate, 
none  but  the  breeders  of  Saxons  pretend  to  make  a  regular  practice  of 
feeding  under  cover. 

Humanity  and  economy  both  dictate,  here,  that  sheep  be  provided  with 
shelters  to  lie  under  nights,  and  to  which  they  can  resoit  at  will.  In  our 
severe  winter  storms,  it  is  sometimes  necessary,  or  at  least  by  far  the  best, 
to  feed  under  shelter  for  a  day  or  two.  It  is  not  an  uncommon  circum- 
stance in  New- York  and  New-England,  for  snow  to  fall  to  the  depth  of 
20  or  30  inches  within  24  or  48  hours,  and  then  to  be  succeeded  by  a 
strong  and  ititensely  cold  west  or  north-west  wind  of  two  or  three  days* 
continuance,*  which  hfts  the  snow,  blocking  up  the  roads,  and  piling  huge 
drifts  to  the  leeward  of  fences,  barns,  &c.  A  flock  without  shelter  will 
huddle  closely  together,  turning  their  backs  to  the  storm,  constantly  step- 
ping and  thus  treading  down  the  snow  as  it  rises  about  them.  Strong,  close- 
coated  sheep  do  not  seem  to  sufler  as  much  from  the  cold,  for  a  period,  as 
would  be  expected.  But  it  is  next  to  impossible  to  feed  them  enough  or 
half  enough,  under  such  circumstances,  without  an  immense  waste  of  hay 
— entirely  impossible,  without  racks.  The  hay  is  whirled  away  in  an  in- 
stant by  the  wind,  and  even  if  racks  are  used,  the  sheep  leaving  their  hud- 
dle where  they  were  kept  warm  and  even  moist  by  the  melting  of  the  snow 
in  their  wool,  soon  get  chilled  and  are  disposed  to  return  to  their  huddle. 
Imperfectly  filled  with  food,  the  supply  of  animal  heat  is  lowered,  and  at 
the  end  of  the  second  or  third  day,  the  feeble  ones  have  sunk  down  hope- 
lessly, the  yearlings  and  oldish  ones  have  received  a  shock  which  nothing 
but  careful  nursing  will  recover  them  from,  and  even  the  strongest  have 
suffered  an  injurious  loss  in  condition. 

Few  holders  of  more  than  40  or  50  sheep  now  attempt  to  get  along 
here  without  some  kind  of  shelters.  The  following  (fig.  38)  is  a  very 
common  form  of  a  Northern  sheep-barn  with  sheds.  The  sheds  front  the 
south,  or,  what  is  a  better  arrangement,  one  fronts  the  east,  and  the  other, 
being  turned  to  a  right  angle  to  the  direction  of  this,  fronts  the  south.  I 
have  represented  hole  racks,  as  in  fig.  32,  running  round  the  sheds,  as, 
although  not  yet  in  general  use,  they  are  undoubtedly  the  best  in  such  sit- 

*  These  terrible  wind-storms  are  of  much  longer  continuance  in  many  parts  of  New-England. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


205 


uations.  The  sheils  are  not  usuully  framed  or  silled, — but  are  suppoited 
by  posts  of  st)nio  durable  tinibt-r  set  in  the  ground.  The  roofs  are  formed 
of  boards  "battened  "  with  slabs.  The  barn  has  no  partitions  within,  and 
is  entirely  filled  with  hay. 

Fig.  38. 


SHEEP-BARK. 


There  are  many  situations  where  these  open  sheds  are  very  liable  to  have 
snow  drifted  under  them  by  certain  winds,  and  they  are  subject  in  all  cases 
in  severe  gales,  to  have  the  snow  carried  ortr  them  to  fall  down  in  laro-e 
drifts  in  front,  which  gradually  encroach  on  the  sheltered  space,  and  are 
very  inconvenient — particularly  when  they  thaiv.  T  therefore  much  prefer 
sheep-houses  covered  on  all  sides,  with  the  exception  of  a  wide  door-way 
for  ingress  and  egress,  and  one  or  two  windows  for  ventilation  when  it  is 
necessary.  They  are  convenient  for  yarding  sheej),  for  the  various  process- 
es where  this  is  required,  as  for  shearing,  marking,  sorting,    "doctorino-," 

Fig.  39. 


THt  OUTSIDE  STELL. 


&c.,  and  especially  so,  for  lambing  places  or  the  confinement  of  newly 
shorn  sheep  in  cold  storms.     They  should  be  spacious  enough,  so  that  in 


206 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


addition  to  the  outside  racks,  others  can  be  placed  temporarily  through 
the  middle  when  required. 

In  many  parts  of  Scotland,  "Stells,"  as  they  are  called,  are  made  use 
of  to  shelter  sheep.  Fig.  39  on  the  pi'eceding  page  is  the  form  of  one  given 
in  "  The  Book  of  the  Farm,"  and  the  author's  description  of  it : 

"  In  a  storm,  their  provender  cannot  be  given  to  the  sheep  upon  snowf,  safely  and  conven- 
iently, as  gi-oinid-(lrift  may  Ijlow  and  cover  both  ;  and  no  place  is  so  suitable  for  the  purpose 
as  a  stel.l It  may  be  fbnned  of  planting  or  high  stone-wall.  Either  willalVord  shel- 
ter; but  the  former  most,  though  most  costly,  as  it  should  be  fenced  by  a  stonc-vvall.  Of 
this  class  I  conceive  the  form  represented  (fig.  38)  a  good  one,  and  which  may  be  char- 
acterized as  an  ontside  stell The  circumscribing  strong  black  line  is  a  stone-wall  si,x 

feet  high  ;  the  dark  ground  within  is  covered  with  trees.  Its  four  rounded  projections  shel- 
ter a  corresponding  number  of  recesses  embraced  between  them,  so  that  let  the  wind  blow 
from  what  quarter  it  may,  two  of  the  recesses  will  be  always  sheltered  from  the  storm.  The 
size  of  this  stell  is  regidated  by  the  number  of  sheep  kept ;  but  this  rule  may  be  remem- 
bered in  regard  to  its  accommodation  for  stock,  that  each  recess  occupies  about  4  part  of  the 
space  comprehended  between  the  extiemities  of  the  4  projections;  so  that  in  a  stell  covering 
4  acres — which  is  perhaps  the  least  size  they  should  be,  every  recess  will  contain  ^  an  acre." 

The  two  following  are  forms  of  stells,  composed  of  stone-wall,  without 
planting. 

Fig.  40. 


Fig  41. 


ANCIENT  STELLS. 


Figures  42  and  43,  on  the  following  page,  are  forms  of  circular  stells, 
the  first  made  by  stone-walls  and  planting,  as  in  fig.  39.  The  open  space 
a  is  occupied  by  the  sheep,  and  Z<  is  a  funnel-shaped  opening  to  it. 

On  the  whole  I  should  consider  fig.  42  preferable  to  any  of  the  preceding 
forms.  Figure  43  represents  one  of  the  same  form,  but  Avithout  the 
planting,  with  a  stack  in  the  middle,  &c.  Either  of  the  stells  Avhich  are 
formed  in  part  of  trees,  would  be  convenient  in  severe  winds,  would  form 
excellent  shades  in  summer,  and  would  constitute  highly  ornamental  ob- 
jects on  the  farm,  and  in  the  landscape.  On  the  most  northerly  of  the 
Southern  mountains,  where  considerable  snow  falls,  they  might  even  be 
good  contrivances  for  winter  shelter.  They  might  also  be  convenient  on 
the  lowlands  farther  south,  provided  the  shelter  of  evergreens  could  be 
made  dense  enough  to  piotect  the  sheep  from  the  winter  rains.  In  this 
case,  the  stell  or  covert  might  be  of  any  sliape,  and  ought  to  have  no  can 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


207 


tval  opening.  It  would  be  merely  u  dense  clump  of  everp^reen  trees,  for 
the  sheep  to  take  refuge  under  in  storms  of  rain,  and  it  might  be  surround- 
ed on  the  outside  with  a  tight  board  fence  or  stone-wall,  if  mucli  exposed 

Fig.  42. 


THE  INSIDE  CIRCULAR  STELL. 


to  the  sweep  of  cold  winds.  As  the  slieep  would  lie  among  the  trees,  a 
clump  50  or  60  feet  in  diameter — though  100  feet  would  be  better — would 
suffice  fur  100  sheep. 


THE  CIRCULAR  STELL  FITTED  UP  WITH  HAT-RACKS. 

But  in  determining  upon  the  best  winter  shelters,  for  the  various  re- 
gions in  the  South,  the  fact  must  not  be  lost  sight  of  that  cold  rains,  or 
rains  of  any  temperature,  when  immediately  svc.ceeded  by  cold  or  freezing 
weather,  or  cold,  piercinp  winds,  are  more  hurtful  to  sheep  than  even  snow- 
storms— and  that  conserjuently  sheep  must  be  adequately  guarded  acrainst 
them.  There  must  also  be  suitable  shelter  from  any  storms  to  vvliidi  the 
countiy  is  sul>iect,  in  the  lamhing  season.  Any  perscm  with  the  least  ex- 
perience can  determine  whether  an  inclosed  clump  of  trees  will  answer 
these  purposes,  in  his  own  immediate  region. 

1  think  it  very  proliable  that  in  the  Gulf  States,  and  some  of  the  lower 
Atlantic  ones — particularly  in  regions  near  the  ocean — these  tree  coverts, 


208 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


surrounded  by  fences  to  break  the  winds,  would  be  found  sufficient.  In 
sections  infested  with  wolves,  they  mioht  also  be  made  to  answer  {ov  folds, 
by  carrying  the  fence  to  the  requisite  hicrht,  to  bar  the  ingress  of  the  wolf 
But  farther  north,  and  on  the  high  lands  and  mountains,  better  shelters 
would,  I  am  inclined  to  think,  in  the  end,  be  found  more  economical. 

The  simplest  and  cheapest  kind  of  shed  is  represented  in  the  following 
cut  (fig.  44).  It  is  formed  by  poles  or  rails,  the  upper  ends  resting  on  a 
strong  horizontal  pole  supported  by  crotched  posts  set  in  the  ground.  It 
may  be  rendered  rain-proof  by  pea-haulm,  straw,  or  pine  bouo-hs. 

Fig.  44. 


SHED  OF  RAILS. 


In  a  region  where  lumber  is  very  cheap,  planks  or  boards  (of  sufficient 
thickness  not  to  spring  downward  and  thus  open  the  roof)  battened  with 
slabs,  may  take  the  place  of  the  poles  and  boughs  ;  and  they  would  make 
a  tighter  and  more  durable  roof  If  the  lower  ends  of  the  boards  or  poles 
are  raised  a  couple  of  feet  from  the  ground,  by  placing  a  log  under  them, 
the  shed  will  shelter  more  sheep. 

These  movable  sheds  may  be  connected  with  hay -barns,  "  hay-bairacks," 
stacks,  or  they  may  surround  an  inclosed  space  with  a  stack  in  the  middle 
like  fig.  43.  In  the  latter  case,  however,  the  yard  should  be  square,  in- 
stead of  round,  on  account  of  the  divergence  in  the  lower  ends  of  the 
boards  or  poles,  which  the  round  form  would  render  necessary. 

Sheds  of  this  description  are  frequently  made,  in  the  North,  between 
two  stacks.  The  end  of  the  horizontal  supporting  pole  is  placed  on  the 
stack-pens,  when  the  stacks  are  built,  and  the  middle  is  propped  by 
crotched  posts.  The  supporting-pole  may  rest,  in  the  same  way,  on  the 
upper  girts  of  two  hay-barracks  ;  or  two  such  sheds  (at  angles  with  each 
other)  might  form  wings  to  this  structure.  The  "  barrack,"  as  it  is  pro- 
vincially  termed  in  the  North,  would,  it  strikes  me,  aflibrd  a  most  econom- 
ical and  a  most  convenient  way  of  storing  fodder  in  the  South.  It  is  ea- 
sily movable,  so  that  it  possesses  the  same  advantage  that  stacks  do,  in 
manuring  different  parts  of  the  field  or  farm.  On  the  other  hand,  the  fod- 
der cannot  be  drenched  by  a  winter  rain,  as  in  a  partly  fed  out  stack. 
Hay  can  be  more  rapidly  stored  in  it  than  on  a  stack  at  any  time,  and  you 
can  pitch  into  it  to  the  last  moment,  when  threatened  with  rain,  without 
stopping  to  round  up  the  top  as  is  necessary  in  a  stack.  The  outside  is 
not  weather-beaten  and  damaged,  as  is  the  case  with  the  sides,  and  fre- 
quently with  a  considerable  of  the  top  of  a  stack.  Fig.  45  (on  the  next 
page)  repi-esents  the  form  of  a  ban'ack.  It  is  12  feet  square  on  the  bot- 
tom, and  the  frame  is  formed  by  girting  together  four  strong  poles,  16  feet 
long,  at  the  bottom,  and  6  feet  from  the  bottom.  Boards  6  feet  long  are 
nailed  perpendicularly  on  the  girts.  Two-inch  holes  are  bored  at  con- 
venient distances  through  the  corner  poles,  so  that  the  roof,  which  rests 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


209 


on  pins  thrust  through  these  holes,  can  be  raised  or  lowered,  at  plea.sui*o.    It: 
is  occasionally  lowered    as   the    fodder  gets  lower  in  the  barrack,  so  that 
rain  or  snow  shall  not  drive  under  it. 
would  be  remarkably  well  adapted 


It  seems  to  nie  that  this    structure 

Fig.  43. 


to  the  storing  and  feeding  out  of  un- 
threshed  peas,  which,  as  has  been 
remarked  in  a  former  Letter,  are  so 
advantageously  raised  at  the  South, 
and  constitute  so  admirable  a  feed 
for  sheep. 

On  all  large  sheep-farms  con- 
venience requires  that  there  be  one 
barn  of  considerable  size,  to  con- 
tain the  shearing-floor,  and  the  ne- 
cessary conveniences  about  it  for 
yarding  the  sheep,  &c.  This  should 
also,  for  economy,  be  a  hay-barn, 
(where  hay  is  used.)  and  from  its 
necessary  size  (for  the  shearing- 
floor),  it  should  hold  hay  for  400  sheep.  It  may  be  constructed  in  the 
corner  of  four  fields,  so  that  four  hundred  sheep  can  be  fed  from  it,  with- 
out making  improperly  sized  flocks.  At  this  barn  it  would  be  expedient 
to  make  the  best  shelters,  and  to  bring  together  all  the  breeding-ewes  on 
the  farm,  if  their  number  did  not  exceed  400.  Thus  the  shepherd  would 
be  saved  much  travel  at  all  times,  and  particularly  at  the  lambing-time, 
and  each  flock  would  be  under  his  almost  constant  supeivision. 

I  offer  the  following  ground-plan  of  a  bam  with  fixtures,  &c.,  as  one 
which  I  think  will  be  found  well  adapted  to  the  purpose  above  specified. 
The  upper  is  the  north  part  of  the  plan. 

Fig.  46. 


M- 


K 

1 

\ 

h 

t 

1 

e 

d 

J- 

C3l 
ff      1 

J 

•      0 

a 

The  dotted  lines  <?,  a,  a,  a,  are  the  fences  dividing  four  fields,  which  would 
corner  at  the  south-east  corner  of  the  bam.  The  barn  is  surrounded  by  double 
lines,  and  the  sheds  by  double  lines  on  the  backs  and  ends — the  dots  in 
front  of  them,  representing  the  crotched  posts  supporting  their  front.  The 
sincrle  black  lines  round  the  yards,  represent  tieht  board  fences,  which 
screen  the  four  yards  h,  c,  d,  e,  from  every  wind.  There  are  two  jiumps  and 
troughs  at  h,  h,  which  accommodate  the  whole  four  fields,  if  a  want  of 
Bprings  or  streams  in  them  render  these  necessary.     The  sheds  are  so  ax- 

2D 


210  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

ranged  that  even  without  the  screens  they  entirely  shut  out  the  north  and 
west  winds — the  prevailing  and  severe  winter  ones  of  tJih  region — and  if 
other  ones  are  more  prevalent  in  other  regions,  the  sheds  can  be  changed 
accordingly.  Each  of  the  sheds  is  50  feet  long  and  12  feet  wide — six 
square  feet  being  the  am^WesX.  proper  allowance  of  sheltered  area  for  each 
sheep.  The  bam  is  48  feet  square,  a  floor  13  feet  wide  running  east  and 
west  through  the  center,  for  shearing  and  for  the  drawing  in  of  hay.  An 
alley  4  feet  wide  and  8  feet  high  (boaided  up  on  the  side  toward  the 
mow,  and  covered  at  the  top)  cuts  off  the  lower  part  of  each  bay  from  the 
east  wall  of  the  barn.  This  is  for  carrying  hay  into  the  yards  b,  c.  It  is 
carried  into  the  yard^f?,  e,  from  the  large  doors  at  each  end  of  the  shearing- 
floor  (or  from  smaller  ones  cut  through  them.)  The  south  bay  is  repre- 
sented as  divided  by  a  temporary  fence,  cutting  it  into  two  pens^j  g.  The 
outside  inclosure  c,  for  yarding  the  sheep,  communicating  by  a  door  with 
f,  and  g  being  used  as  a  room  to  tie  up  wool  in,  presents  precisely  the 
same  arrangement  which  is  exhibited  in  the  cut  of  the  shearing-bam 
(fig.  22)  in  Letter  XJL 

The  barn  here  given  (fig.  46)  is  probably  larger  than  would  be  neces- 
sary for  400  sheep,  in  most  parts  of  the  South.  Its  necessary  size  is  a 
question  to  be  entirely  determined  by  the  climate.  For  large  flocks  of 
sheep,  I  should  regard  the  storage  of  some  hay  or  other  fodder  for  winter 
as  an  indispensable  precautionary  measure,  at  least,  in  any  pait  of  the 
United  States  ;  and,  other  things  being  equal,  the  farther  north,  or  the  more 
elevated  the  land,  the  greater  would  be  the  necessary  amount  to  be  stored. 

The  sheaiing-floor  shortened  to  30  or  3-5  feet,  would  still,  perhaps,  be 
sufficiently  commodious,  and  this  would  reduce  the  dimensions  of  the  barn 
east  and  west  13  or  18  feet ;  and  one  of  the  bays  might  be  dispensed  with. 
But  having  constructed  so  large,  so  smooth,  and  so  tight  a  bam-floor  as 
the  shearing  one  ought  to  be,  it  would  be  good  economy  to  use  it  f<jr  the 
threshing  of  grain.  One  of  the  bays,  therefore,  might  be  used  for  the 
storage  of  grain  in  the  sheaf.  I  have  always  considered  this  an  excellent 
arrangement  in  a  Northern  barn  of  this  description,  as  in  our  cold  climate 
the  sheep  require  much  straw  litter  in  their  sheds,  yards,  &c.  Thrown 
out  to  them  daily,  as  threshed,  much  bright  straw  and  chaff"  will  be  con- 
sumed by  them — particularly  of  greenish  cut  oats. 

The  yards  c,  e,  in  fig.  46  are  represented  but  the  width  of  the  bam,  48 
feet.  If  these  were  reduced  too  much,  by  diminishing  the  size  of  the  barn, 
the  shed  of  c  could  be  carried  farther  west  atj,  and  that  of  e  farther  north 
at  i,  being  connected  with  the  barn  by  wind-breakers,  composed  of  a  tight 
board  fence,  as  high  as  the  summit  of  the  sheds.  Or,  what  would  perhaps 
be  better,  the  fences  thrown  forward  in  a  straight  line  from  the  ends  of 
these  two  sheds  might  be  continued  until  they  intersected  each  other,  and 
a  fence  from  their  point  of  intersection  to  the  south-east  comer  of  the  barn 
would  divide  the  two  yards.  

Feeding  Sheep  with  other  Stock. — Sheep  should  not  mn  or  be  fed, 
in  yards,  with  any  other  stock.  Cattle  hook  them,  often  mortally.  Colts 
tease  and  frequently  injure  them.  It  is  often  said  that  "  colts  will  pick  up 
what  sheep  leave."  Well-managed  sheep  rarely  leave  anything — and  if 
they  chance  to,  it  is  better  to  rake  it  up  and  throw  it  into  the  colts'yard, 
than  to  feed  them  together.  If  sheep  are  not  required  to  eat  their  feeds 
pretty  clean,  they  will  soon  learn  to  waste  large  quantities.  But  if  sheep 
are  overfed  with  either  liay  or  grain,  it  is  not  proper  to  compel  them  by 
starvation  to  come  back  and  eat  it.  They  will  not  unless  sorely  ])inched. 
Clean  out  the  troughs, — or  rake  up  the  hay,  and  the  next  time  feed  less. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


211 


Hay-Hoi. DERS. — Where  hay  or  other  fodder  is  thrown  out  of  the  upper 
doors  of  a  haru  into  the  shocp-yard,  as  it  always  must  necesKaiily  be  in  a 
ham  constiuctfd  hke  fig.  38,  or  any  mere  //rt//-harn,  or  where  it  is  thrown 
fi-om  a  banark  or  stack,  the  sheep  imtnediately  rush  on  it,  trainpHng  it  ard 
soilini?  it,  and  the  succeeding  foikl'uUs  fall  on  their  backs,  filling  tln;ir  wool 
with  dust,  seed  and  chaff.  This  is  avoided  by  liay-holders — yards  10  fi-et 
square — either  portable  by  being  made  of  ])osts  and  boards,  or  simply  a 
pen  of  rails,  placed  under  the  doors  of  the  barns,  and  by  the  sides  of  each 
stack  or  barrack.  The  liay  is  pitched  into  tlie  holder,  in  fair  weather 
enough  for  a  day's  foddering  at  a  time,  and  is  taken  from  this  by  forkfiills 
and  placed  in  the  racks.  I  would  here  offer  a  necessary  caution  in  rela- 
tion to  the  use  of  rails  ov  poles,  for  stack-pens  or  hay-holders.  Tlie  poles 
should  be  so  small  as  to  entirely  prevent  the  sheep  from  inserting  tlieir  beads 
between  them  after  hay.  A  sheep  will  often  insert  its  head  where  the 
opening  is  wide  enough  for  that  purpose,  shove  it  along  or  get  crowded 
alonij,  to  where  the  opening  is  not  wide  enough  to  withdraw  the  head,  and 
it  will  hang  there  until  observed  and  extricated  by  the  shepherd.  If  as  it 
often  happens,  it  is  thus  caught  when  its  fore  parts  are  elevated  by  climb- 
ing up  the  side  of  the  pen,  it  will  continue  to  lose  its  fore  footing  in  its 
struggles,  and  will  soon  choke  to  death. 

Winter  Dry  Feed  for  Sheep. — The  proper  diy  winter  fodder  for  sheep 
has  already  been  repeatedly  alluded  to,  in  general  terms.  Volumes  have 
been  expended  on  this  subject,  particularly  in  Germany — and  curifius  and. 
elaborate  systems  of  feeding  given.  In  Germany  great  stress  is  laid  on 
rarie/j/  in  the  winter  fodder.  In  the  German  Farmer's  Encyclopaulia,  the 
following  table  of  the  proper  variations  and  amounts  of  feed  is  given  by 
Petri. 

TABLE  15. 


I.Olll, 

Lotii, 

Lot!.. 

D.y. 

Lb.. 

equal 

Morning. 

Lbs. 

equHl 
21 

Koon. 

Lbs. 

equal 

21 

Evening. 

1 

21 

Iiay 

hay 

hay 

2 

1 

1 

rye  straw 

1 

22 

hay 

1 

1 

rye  straw 

3 

23 

bean  straw 

26 

vetch-hay 

23 

bean  straw 

4 

1 

wheat  straw 

1 

sainfoin 

1 

wheat  straw 

5 

1 

6 

oat  straw 

21 

hay 

1 

6 

oat  straw 

6 

1 

6 

artichoke  stalk 

1 

19 

red  clover 

1 

6 

artichoke  stalk 

7 

1 

8 

turkey  wheat 

1 

12 

lucern 

1 

8 

turkev-vvhoat  str'w 

e 

1 

y 

buckwheat  straw 

1 

16 

hay 

1 

8 

buckwl-.eat  straw 

9 

1 

6 

oat  straw 

7 

horse-beans 

1 

6 

oat  straw 

10 

19 

red  clover 

19 

red  clover 

19 

red  clover 

11 

18 

sainfoin 

18 

sainfoin 

18 

sainfoin 

12 

1 

6 

millet  straw 

1 

6 

millet  straw 

1 

6 

millet  straw 

13 

30 

lentil  straw 

21 

hay 

30 

lentil  straw 

14 

30 

pea  straw 

21 

hay 

30 

pea  straw 

15 

30 

barley  straw 

1 

artichoke  stalk 

30 

barley  straw 

16 

1 

10 

horse  bean  straw 

1 

10 

horse-bean  straw 

1 

10 

hor.ic-bean  straw 

17 

1 

1 

rye  straw 

1 

11 

oat  straw 

1 

1 

rj-e  straw 

18 

1 

3 

wheat  straw 

1 

9 

oat  straw 

1 

3 

wheat  straw- 

19 

1 

C 

rje  straw 

1 

turkey-wheat 

1 

3 

wheat  .'^traw 

20 

1 

6 

oat  straw 

1 

tiirkoy-wheat 

1 

6 

oat  straw 

21 

1 

3 

whf^at  straw 

22 

artichoke  stalk 

1 

6 

oat  straw 

22 

30 

lentil  straw 

1 

30 

vetch  straw 

30 

lentil  8tra^v 

23 

1 

6 

oat  straw 

1 

6 

wheat  straw 

1 

6 

oat  SI  raw 

The  same  writer  gives  the  following  as   the  proper  winter  feed  of  a 
ewe,  the  month  preceding  lambing  : 


212 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


TABLE  16. 


( In  tht 

'  morniug, 

I  lb. 

of  good  oat  straw. 

1st  day. 

\     -- 

noon  ... 

.i   .. 

of  good  hay  of  clover. 

(     -- 

evening. 

.i  .. 

of  good  barley  straw. 

c  •- 

morning: 

■  l  - 

of  millet  straw. 

■2d  day  . 

\  ■- 

noon  . . . 

of  potatoes  with  4  oz.  of  chopped  straw,  and  4  oz.  of  oats. 

I  .. 

evening. 

'.i " 

of  barley  straw. 

(    - 

morning 

.\ .. 

of  hay. 

3d  day . 

\  - 

noon  ... 

I  - 

of  hay, 

I  - 

evening. 

.1 .. 

of  wheat,  oat,  barley  or  buckwheat  straw. 

■[■■■■ 

morning 

■i  - 

of  summer  straw. 

4th  day. 

noon  ... 

.i  .. 

of  chopped  straw,  with  3  oz.  oats  and  3  oz.  bran,  moistened 

with  water. 

y.  ■■ 

evening. 

-i  -- 

of  winter  straw. 

(  -- 

morning 

-J  .. 

of  hay. 

5th  day. 

■\  ■■ 

noon 

o 

of  potatoes  with  ^  lb.  of  chopped  straw. 

I  - 

evening. 

■l  -'- 

of  winter  straw. 

c   - 

morning 

-5    .- 

of  hay. 

6th  day. 

■\   - 

noon  ... 

.as  in 

4  th  daj-, 

(  - 

evenincr. 

.1  lb. 

of  straw. 

All  this  would  be  infinitely  "  more  nice  than  wise,"  in  any  part  of  the 
United  States.  Variations  of  dry  fodder  are  well  enough,  but  hundreds 
and  thousands  of  Northern  flocks  receive  nothing  but  ordinary  hay,  con- 
sisting mainly  of  Timothy,  ( PIdevm  pratensc,)  some  Red  and  White  Clo- 
ver, (  Tr'ifoUmn  jn-atense  et  rej>ens,)  and  frequently  a  sprinkling  of  June  or 
Spear  grass,  (Poa  j^ratensis,)  during  the  entire  winter.  Otliers  receive  an 
occasional  fodder  of  corn-stalks  and  straw — and  some  farmers  give  a  daily 
feed  of  grain  through  the  winter.  Where  hay  is  the  principal  feed,  it  may 
be  well,  where  it  is  convenient,  to  give  corn-stalks  (or  "  blades  ")  every 
fifth  or  sixth  feed,  or  even  once  a  day.  Or  the  daily  feed,  not  of  hay,  might 
alternate  between  blades,  pea-straw,  straw  of  the  cereal  grains,  &c.  Should 
any  other  fodder  besides  hay  be  the  principal  one,  as,  for  example,  com- 
blades  or  pea-haulm,  each  of  the  other  fodders  might  be  alternated  in  the 
same  way.  It  is  mainly,  in  my  judgment,  a  question  of  convenience  with 
the  flock-master,  provided  Kjyroper  supply  of  palatable  nutriment  within  a 
proper  compass,  is  given.  Hay,  clover,  properly  cured  pea-haulm,  and  corn- 
blades  are  palatable  to  the  sheep,  and  each  contain  the  necessary  supply 
of  nutriment  in  the  quantity  which  the  sheep  can  readily  take  into  its  stom- 
ach. Consequently,  from  either  of  these,  the  sheep  can  derive  its  entire 
subsistence.  The  same  remarks  rnay,  possibly,  apply  to  greenish  cut  oat 
and  barley  straw;  but  it  would  not,  I  apprehend,  be  economical  or  alto- 
gether safe  to  confine  any  kind  of  sheep  to  the  straic  of  the  cereal  grains 
unless  some  of  those  little  hardy  varieties  of  sheep  which  would  be  of  no 
value  in  this  country.  Experiment  will  readily  show  the  flock-master 
what  kinds  of  food  are  palatable  and  agree  with  the  health  of  his  flock. 
The  following  exceedingly  valuable  Table,  prepared  by  Boussingault,  will 
give  the  value  of  various  kinds  of  feed  in  comparison  with  ordinary  natu- 
ral meadow  hay,  as  ascertained  by  himself.  Von  Thaer,  Block,  and  other 
distinguished  Agricultural  Chemists.  The  results  are  obtained  by  chemi- 
cal analysis,  and  by  actual  experiments  in  feeding.  The  amount  of  nitro- 
gen in  100  parts  is  made  the  chemical  test  of  value,  as  it  shows  the  quan- 
tity of  fibrin,  albumen,  and  casein,  (by  multiplying  by  6.3.)  The  experi- 
mental result  is  obtained  by  weighing  the  animal  and  the  feed,  and  giving 
him  enough  of  each  to  maintain  him  in  good  condition. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


213 


TABLE  17. 


F  O  D  1)  E  K  S  . 

TABLE  OF  THE  NOTRITIVE  EQUIVALENTS  OF  DIFFERENT  KINDS  OF  FUDDERS. 


Kinds  of  Pood. 


Ordiiiury  iinlurHl  meaduw  hay 

Do.  of  line  quality 

Do.  Beloct 

Do.  freed  from  woody  uteins 

Lucern   hiiy ." 

Rod  clover  hny.  2d  year's  growth. 
Red  clover  cut  in  flow<'r,  creen,  do. 

New  wheat  snaw,  crop  1841 

Old  wheal  plniw 

Do.  do.  lower  parts  of  the  stalk. .. 
Do.  do.  upper  part  of  do.  aud  ear.. 

New  rye-straw 

Old  do 

Oat-straw 

Barley  do 

Pea  do 

Millet  do 

Buckwheat  do 

Lentil  do 

Vetches  cut  in  flower  and  dried  ? 

into  hay ) 

Potato  tops 

Field-beet  leaves 

Carrot  do 

Jerusalem  artichoke  stems 

Lime-trees,  young  shoots 

Canada  Poplar  do 

Oak  do 

Acacia  do.  (autumn) 

Drum  cabbna^ 

Swedish  turnip 

Turnip 

Field-Heet  ( 1 1*38) 

Do.  white  SUesian 

Carrots 

Jeru?sl'^m  artichokes  (18.39) 

Do.  (1^36) 

Potatoes  (1838) 

Do.  (1836>.   

Do.  after  keepins  in  the  pit 

Cider  apple  pulp  dried  in  the  air.. 

Beetroot  from  the  sugar  mill 

Vetches  in  seed 

Fipld-heans 

White  peas  (dry) 

White  haricota..r 

Lent  ils 

New  Indian  Com 

Buckwheat 

Barley  ( 183fi) 

Bailev-raeal 

Oats  (Wm 

Do.  (lalfi) 

Rve  (1838)   

Wheat  (1836.  Alsace) 

Do.  from  highly  manured  soil 

Recent  Bran ... 


Wheat  husks  or  chaff 

Rice  (Piedmont) 

Gold  of  Pleasure  seed  (Madia). 

Do.  cake 

Linseed  cake 

Colza  do 

Madia  do 

Hemp  do 

Poppy  do 

Nut  do 

Beech-mast  do 

.Arachis  i  Pindars)  do 

Dry  acom« 

Refuse  of  the  wine-press,  air-drind 


11.0 
14.0 
18.8 
14.0 
16.6 
10.1 
76.0 
2<!.0 
8.5 
5:.i 
9.4 
18.7 
12.6 
21.0 
11.0 
8. .5 
19.0 
ll.H 
9.2 

11.0 

7fi.0 
88.9 
70.9 
8fi.4 
55.0 
6-2.5 
57.4 
53.6 
92.3 
91.0 
9-2.5 
87.8 
85.6 
87.6 
79.2 
75.5 
65.9 
79.4 
76.8 
6.4 
70.0 
14.6 
7.9 
8.6 
5.0 
9.0 
18.0 
1S.5 
13.2 
13.0 
20.8 
1-2.4 
11.5 
10.5 
16.6 

37.1 

7.6 

13.4 

8.0 

11.2 

13.4 

10.5 

6.5 

5.0 

6.8 

6.0 

6.9 

6.6 


1.34 
1.50 
2.40 
2.44 
1.66 
1.70 

0.36 
0.53 
0.43 
1.42 
0.30 
0.50 
0.36 
0.30 
195 
0.96 
0.54 
1.18 

1.16 

2.30 
4.50 
2.94 
•2.70 
3.-25 
2.-29 
2.16 
1..56 
3.70 
1.83 
1.70 
1.70 
1.43 
2.40 
1.60 
2.20 
1..50 
1.80 
1.18 
0.63 

5.13 
5..50 
4.20 
4.30 
4.40 
2.(X) 
2.40 
2.02 
2.46 
2.-20 
2  -'>2 
2;'27 
2.33 
3.18 

2.18 

0  94 
1.39 
4.00 
5.70 
6.00 
.5.50 
5.9:1 
4.78 
5.70 
5..59 
3.53 
8.89 


ih 


1.15 
1.30 
2.00 
2.10 
1.38 
1.54 
0.64 
0.27 
0.49 
0.41 
1  33 
0.24 
0.42 
0.30 
0.25 
1.79 
0.78 
0.48 
1.01 

1.14 

0  55 
0.50 
0.85 
0.37 
1.45 
0.86 
0.92 
0.72 
0.28 
0.17 
0.13 
0.-21 
0.18 
0.30 
0.33 
0.42 
0.36 
0..37 
0.30 
0.59 
0.38 
4.37 
5.11 
3.84 
4.58 
4.00 
1.64 
2.10 
1.76 
2.14 
1.74 
1.92 
2.00 
2.09 
2.65 

1.36 

0.85 
1.20 
3.67 
5.1)6 
5.20 
4.92 
5.51 
4.21 
5.36 
5.24 
3.31 
8.33 
0.80 
1.71 


600 


.3821  205 

348 

274 

319 

311 

383 

195 

303 

26 

23 

27 


400 


180 


150 


53 


46 


100 !   100 


90  ion 

90  100 

450}  4'Z^ 

450  3U0 


200 


90,  90  Dombasle, 
[Ciud 


500  Rieder. 


200  400  Schwertz. 
200  400         do. 
150  90  PohL 


130    150 
100 


I 

429 1  600 

3(M)  250 

5-26,  450 

460!  250 


300!  250  380  Boussincault. 
1 280  do". 


200  280  Boussingault. 


59  Boussingault. 

50 
60 


?ome  specimens 
arc  twice  as  rich 


214 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


The  great  value  of  pea-haulm,  as  shown  in  the  above  Table,  is  worthy  or 
the  particular  notice  of  the  Southern  flock-master.  Also  that  of  millet 
straw,  another  crop  peculiarly  congenial  to  the  Southern  States,  provided 
it  can  be  cured  so  that  sheep  will  eat  it.  Corn-stalks  are  not,  unfortunate- 
ly, included  in  the  Table.  According  to  Petri,  100  founds  of  com  "  straw," 
(including  stalks  and  haves,  I  suppose,)  contains  but  f  as  much  nutriment 
as  the  same  weight  of  "  aromatic  meadow  hay,"  and  not  so  much  by  \  as 
an  equal  weight  of  oat  or  pea  straw,  which  he  makes  equivalent  to  each 
other  !  My  opinion  is  that  this  by  no  means  indicates  the  comparative 
value  of  uiell  cured  corn-stalks.  No  analysis  of  them  now  occurs  to  me, 
in  any  authority  which  I  have  on  hand.  Mr.  Ellsworth,  of  the  Patent  Of- 
fice, stated  in  the  Cultivator  in  1842,  that  the  juice  of  corn-stalls,  on 
Beaume's  Saccharometer,  is  equal  in  saccharine  matter  Avith  that  of  the 
cane  in  this  country,  five  times  greater  than  that  of  the  Northern  sugar- 
maple,  (Acer  saccharinum,)  and  three  times  that  of  beet!  The  daily  ex- 
periments of  our  farmers  demonstrate  the  absurdity  of  placing  corn-stalks 
below  the  value  of  the  cereal  straws.  Cured  green  and  bright  they  are  a 
highly  valuable  fodder,  and  are  relished  by  all  herbivorous  animals.  My 
friend,  James  M.  Ellis,  Esq.  of  Onondaga,  N.  Y.,  one  of  the  best  managing 
flock-masters  of  this  State,  has  fed  corn-stalks  largely  to  his  sheep  for  sev- 
eral years  and  with  decided  succes. 


Effect  of  Food  in  the  Production  of  Wool. — The  fact  has  been  be- 
fore alluded  to  that  well  fed  sheep  produce  more  wool  than  poorly  fed 
ones.  The  question  now  arises — if  the  effect  on  the  condition  (flesh)  of  the 
sheep  is  the  same,  will  one  kind  of  food  produce  more  wool  than  another  ? 
No  doctrine  is  more  clearly  recognized  in  Agricultural  Chemistry,  than 
that  animal  tissues  derive  their  chemical  components  from  the  same  com- 
ponents existing  in  their  food.*  The  analyses  of  Liebig,  Johnston,  Scherer, 
Playfair,  Boeckmann,  Mulder,  &c.,  show  that  the  chemical  composition  of 
wool,  hair,  hoofs,  nails,  horns,  feathei's,  lean  meat,  blood,  cellular  tissue, 
nerves,  &c.  are  nearly  identical.  The  organic  part  of  wool,  according  to 
Johnston,!  consists  of  carbon  50.65,  hydrogen  7.03,  nitrogen  17.71,  oxy- 
gen and  sulphur  24,61.  The  inorganic  constituents  are  small.  When 
burned,  it  leaves  but  2  0  per  cent  of  ash.  The  large  quantity  of  nitro- 
gen (17.71)  contained  in  wool,  shows  that  its  production  is  increased  by 
highly  azotized  food.  This  is  fully  verified  by  the  experiments  made  on 
Saxon  sheep,  in  Silesia,  by  Reaumur,  whose  Table  I  append.  A  striking 
correspondence  will  be  found  to  exist  between  the  amount  of  wool  and  the 
amount  of  nitrogen  in  the  food. 

TABLE  18. 


Kinds  of  food. 


1000  pounds  of  raw  potatoes,  with  salt. 


1000 
1000 
1000 
1000 
1000 
1000 
1000 
1000 
1000 
1000 
1000 

1000 


without  salt 

raw  mangel-wurzel 

pease 

wheat 

rye,  with  salt 

rye,  without  salt 

oats 

barley 

buckwheat 

pood  hay 

hay,  with  straw,  without  other 

fodder 

whisky,  stillprains  or  wash 


crease  of 
reight  in 
e  animal. 


461 

44 

38 

134 

155 

90 

83 

146 

136 

120 

58 

31 
35 


3^ 

11 

13i 

141 

101 

12 

lOi 


12   51 
10  14i 


6 
9 
111 

81 


6  11 

4   0 


Nitrogen 
per  rent. 
in  food. 


0.36 
0.36 
0.21 
3.83 
2.09 
2.00 
2.00 
1.70 
1.90 
2.10 
1.15 


*  For  full  information  on  this  whole  subject,  see  Liebie's  Animal  Chemistry,  Part  I  and  II. 
t  i^ee  .Johnston's  A:.'rioultural  Clicmistry — Lecture  .XVIII.  Analyses  of  the  horny  tissues,  by  Scherer,  will 
be  found  in  the  Appendix  to  Liebig's  Animal  Chemistry. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  215 


The  singular  diflerence  slated  in  the  Table,  between  the  amount  of  wool 
produced  by  "  good  bay,"  and  "bay  with  straw  without  othrr  f(idd««r,"  I 
confess  is  scarcely  credible  to  me.  It  may  be  a  misprint  in  the  Table  from 
which  I  copy. 

The  peculiar  value  of  pease  not  only  in  increasing  the  wool,  where  they 
Tnukjir.sf*  but  in  the  average  com])anitive  increase  which  they  produce  in 
all  the  tissues,  is  again  worthy  of  notice. 

Effect  of  Food  iv  producing  Fat  and  Muscle. — The  increase  of  fat 
and  njuscle,  as  of  wool,  depends  upon  the  nature  of  the  food.  It  would 
be  foreign  from  my  purpose  to  enter  into  an  elaborate  theoretical  exam- 
ination of  this  subject.  Liebig,  in  Parts  I.  and  II.  of  his  Animal  Chemis- 
try, has  covered  the  whole  ground,  and  to  him  I  take  the  liberty  to  refer 
you.  Mr.  Spooner,  writing  for  England,  where  the  production  of  flesh 
and  fat  is  the  ]>rimary  object  of  Sheep  Husbandry,  has  given  a  synopsis 
of  Liebig's  positions,  analyses,  &c.,  in  his  chapter  (XXI.)  on  Feeding  and 
Fattening — and  the  substance  of  this  is  again  repeated  by  Mr.  Morrell  in 
his  chapters  on  the  same  subjects,  in  The  American  Shepherd.  To  either 
of  the  latter  I  would  refer  you  for  svfficiejit  details  for  practical  purposes, 
or  ior  full  information,  to  Liebig. 

The  Tables  of  Boussingault  and  Reaumur,  already  given,  (Tables  17  and 
IS,)  sufticiently  indicate  the  value  of  the  various  grains,  straw,  roots,  &c., 
in  fattening. 

It  is  not  very  common,  in  the  North,  for  toool-growers  to  fatten  their 
wethers,  for  market,  by  extra  winter  feeding.  Some  give  them  a  little 
more  generous  keep  the  winter  before  they  are  to  be  turned  off,  and  then 
sell  them  when  they  have  attained  their  maximum  fatness  the  succeedin"- 
fall.  When  winter  fattening  is  attempted,  sheep  require  warm,  dry  shel- 
ters, and  should  receive,  in  addition  to  all  the  hay  they  will  eat,  meal  twice 
a  day  in  troughs — or  meal  once  and  chopped  roots  once.  The  equivalent 
of  from  half  a  pint  to  a  pint  of  (yellow)  corn  meal  per  head  per  diem  is 
about  as  much  as  ordinary  flocks  of  Merino  wethers  will  profitably  con- 
sume, though  in  selected  flocks  consisting  of  large  animals,  this  amount  is 
frequently  exceeded.  

Feedi.vg  Grain  to  Store-Sheep  in  Winter. — The  expediency  of  feed- 
ing grain  to  store-sheep  in  winter  depends  much  upon  circumstances.  If 
in  a  climate  where  they  can  obtain  a  proper  supply  of  grass  or  other  green 
esculents,  it  would,  of  course,  be  unnecessary.  Neither  is  it  a  matter  of 
necessity  where  the  ground  is  frozen  or  covered  with  snow  for  weeks  or 
months,  provided  the  sheep  be  supplied  plentifully  with  good  dry  fodder. 
Near  markets  where  the  coarse  grains  find  a  good  and  ready  sale,  it  is  not 
usual  in  the  North,  to  feed  grain.  Remote  from  markets,  it  is  generallv 
fed  by  the  holders  of  large  flocks.  Oats  are  commonly  preferred,  and 
they  are  fed  at  the  rate  of  a  gill  a  head  per  day.  Some  feed  half  the 
same  amount  of  (yellow)  corn.  Fewer  sheep — particularly  lambs,  year- 
lintjs,  and  crones — get  thin  and  perish,  where  they  receive  a  daily  feed  of 
giain  ;  they  consume  less  hay  ;  and  their  fleeces  are  increased  in  weigJif. 
On  the  whole,  therefore,  it  is  considered  good  economy.  Where  no  grain 
is  fed,  three  daily  feeds  of  hay  are  given.  It  is  a  common  and  very  good 
practice  to  feed  greenish  cut  oats  in  the  hvndle,  at  noon,  and  give  but  two 
feeds  of  hay — one  at  morning  and  one  at  night.  A  few  feed  greenish 
cut  peas  in  the  same  way.     In  warm,  thawing  weather  when  sheep   get 

•  Wiih  the  exception  of  "  h«y  and  straw  " — the  given  product  of  which,  in  wool,  I  have  already  stated 
must  uuduubKMlly  be  misprinted. 


216  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

to  the  ground,  and  refuse  dry  hay,  a  little  orrain  assists  materially  in 
keeping  up  their  strength  and  condition.  This  may  furnish  a  useful 
hint  for  many  parts  of  the  South.  When  the  feed  is  shortest  in  winter, 
in  the  South,  there  are  many  localities  where  sheep  would  get  enough 
grass  to  take  off  their  appetite  for  diy  hay,  but  not  quite  enough  to  keep 
them  in  prime  condition.  A  moderate  daily  feed  of  oats  or  pease  placed 
in  the  depository  racks,  would  keep  them  strong,  in  good  plight  for  the 
lambing  season,  and  increase  their  weight  of  wool. 

Few  Northern  farmers  feed  Indian  com  to  store-sheep.  It  is  consid- 
ered "  too  hot  and  stimulating,"  and  sheep  are  thought  to  be  more  liable 
to  become  "  cloyed  "  on  it  than  on  oats,  pease,  &c.  I  never  have  fed  it  to 
sheep  sufficiently  to  speak  advisedly  on  this  point.  A  neighboring  flock- 
master  whose  admirable  aiTangements  for  keeping  sheep  are  only  equaled 
by  his  usual  success,  lost  most  of  a  large  flock  of  lambs  a  few  winters 
since.  They  received  all  they  would  eat  of  the  best  hay,  and,  as  the 
owner  supjwscd,  a  half  gill  of  corn  a  head  per  day.  They  were  in  fine 
order  in  the  beginning,  and  for  some  time  into  the  winter.  During  a  thaw, 
when  they  got  a  little  off"  from  their  feed,  and  looked  "  hollow,"  the  shep- 
herd, without  the  knowledge  of  the  owner,  increased  the  feed  of  corn. 
This  caused  them  to  eat  still  less  hay,  and  the  shepherd  not  only  continued 
but  increased  the  allowance  of  the  corn  as  their  appetite  for  hay  dimin- 
ished. In  a  short  time  they  ate  scarcely  any  hay,  and  soon  after  began  to 
eat  their  corn  very  irregularly.  Their  stomachs  were  now  so  completely 
deranged,  that  they  would  not  eat  any  tiling,  in  quantities  sufficient  for 
their  subsistence,  and  they  perished  rapidly  and  miserably.  The  same 
consequences  might  doubtless  have  ensued  from  feeding  other  grains,  in 
the  same  improper  manner.  But  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  the  evil 
would  have  been  less  rapid  and  remediless  with  some  other  grains.  I  do 
not  consider  yellow  corn  a  very  safe  feed,  at  least  for  lambs  and  yearlings. 
From  the  obviously  different  character  of  the  larger  Southern  varieties, 
I  presume  they  would  be  less,  and  very  probably  not  at  all,  objectionable 
for  sheep  feed.  Haifa  gill  of  yellow  corn,  or  a  gill  of  oats  per  head,  is  a 
sufficient  daily  allowance  of  grain.  While  there  can  be  nothing  more  ab- 
surd than  the  German  starving  system  to  increase  the  fineness  of  the  wool, 
excessive  fatness  is  not  to  be  aimed  at,  especially  in  breeding-ewes.  Store 
sheep  should  be  kept  in  good,  fair,  ^Zw??2./»  condition.  Lambs  and  yearlings 
may  be  as  fat  as  they  will  become  on  proper  feeding. 

It  will  not  do  to  suffer  sheep  to  get  thin  in  the  winter,  with  the  idea 
that  their  condition  can  at  any  time  be  readily  raised  by  better  feed,  as 
with  the  horse  or  ox.  It  is  always  difficult,  and  unless  properly  managed, 
expensive  and  hazardous,  to  attempt  to  raise  the  condition  of  a  poor  flock 
in  the  winter — especially  if  they  have  reached  that  point  where  they  mani- 
fest weakness.  If  the  feeding  of  a  liberal  allowance  of  grain  be  suddenly 
commenced,  fatal  diarrhea  will  frequently  supervene.  All  extra  feeding, 
therefore,  must  be  begun  very  gradually,  and  it  does  not  seem,  in  any  case, 
to  produce  proportionable  results. 

I  have  seen  it  stated  that  sheep  will  eat  cotton-seed  and  thrive  on  it. 
If  this  be  true,  this  must,  of  course,  be  a  far  more  remunerating  applica- 
tion of  that  product,  than  as  a  mere  manure  to  soils. 

Feeding  Roots,  Browse,  &c.,  in  Winter. — Ruta-bagas,  Irish  potatoes, 
he,  make  a  good  substitute  for  grain,  as  an  extra  feed  for  grown  sheep. 
I  prefer  the  ruta-bas^a  to  the  potato  in  equivalents  of  nutriment.  I  do  not 
consider  either  of  them,  or  any  other  root,  as  good  for  laml)S  and  yearlings 
as  an  equivalent  in  grain.     Sheep  may*  be  taught  to  eat  nearly  all  the  cul- 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  217 


tivated  roots.  This  is  done  by  withhokling  salt  from  them,  atid  then  feed- 
iuir  the  c-li(>)>iiod  root  a  few  times  rubbed  with  just  sufficient  suit  to  induce 
them  to  eat  llie  root  to  obtain  it;  but  not  enoui^h  to  satisfy  tliuir  aiipelite 
for  salt  before  they  have  accjuirod  a  taste  for  the  roots. 

It  is  customary  with  some  of  our  Hock-mastors  to  cut  down  from  time 
to  time,  in  the  winter,  and  draw  into  tlie  sheep-yards,  young  trees  of  the 
hemlock  ( Ahits  canrnlc/isisj.  The  foliag(!  is  greedily  eaten  by  sheei),  af- 
ter being  cmilined  f»>r  some  time  to  dry  feed.  1  have  known  slu-ep,  un- 
doubtedly, Itliink,  killed  by  overeating  it.  This  browse  is  comuKjiily  used 
for  some  supposed  medicinal  virtues.  It  is  pronounced  "  healthy  for 
sheep."  The  p(i()ular  supposition  is  that  it  is  a  tonic  and  stimulant.  If 
this  l)e  true,  which  I  will  not  pause  to  incpiire,  of  wliat  good  use  are  tonics 
and  stimulants  to  healthy  animals  ?  With  sheep,  as  with  horses,  and  even 
with  men,  prcrvntire  medicines  are  productive  of  injury  in  a  thousand 
cases,  where  they  are  of  benefit  in  one.  There  could  be  no  objection,  cer- 
tainly, to  sheep's  eating  the  foliage  of  the  hemlock,  if  it  was  constantly 
accessible  to  them.  Their  iiistincts,  in  that  case,  would  teach  them 
whether,  and  in  what  quantities,  to  devour  it.  But  when  entirely  confined 
to  dry  feed  for  a  protracted  period,  sheep  will  consume  hurtful  and  even 
poisonous  succulents — and  of  the  most  wiiolesome  ones,  hurtful  fp/antities. 
As  a  mere  laxatire,  an  occasional  feed  of  hemlock  may  be  beneficial;  but 
in  this  point  of  view,  a  day's  run  at  grass  in  a  thaw,  or  a  feed  of  roots, 
would  produce  the  same  result.  In  a  climate  where  grass  is  obtained 
most  of  the  time,  I  should  consider  browse  for  medicinal  purposes  entirely 
unnecessary.  

"Winter  Feed  of  Breedixg-Ewes. — Until  two  or  three  weeks  pre- 
ceding lambing,  it  is  only  necessary  that  breeding-ewes,  like  other  store- 
sheep,  be  kept  in  good  plump  ordinary  condition.  Nor  are  any  separate 
aiTangements  necessary  for  them,  after  that  pCriod,  in  a  climate  where 
they  obtain  sufficient  succulent  food  to  provide  for  a  proper  secretion  of 
milk.  In  backward  seasons  in  the  North,  where  the  grass  does  not  stait 
prior  to  the  lambing  time,  careful  flock-masters  feed  their  ewes  chopped, 
roots,  or  roots  mixed  with  oat  or  pea  meal.  This  is,  in  ray  judgment, 
excellent  economy.*  

Regularity  in  Feeding. — If  there  is  one  rule  which  may  be  consider- 
ed mi)re  imperative  than  any  other  in  Sheep  Husbandry,  it  is  that  the  ut- 
most regularity  be  preserved  in  feeding.  First,  there  should  be  regularity 
as  to  the  tunes  of  feeding.  However  abundantly  provided  for,  when  a 
flock  are  foddered  sometimes  at  one  hour  and  sometimes  at  another — 
sometimes  three  times  a  day  and  sometimes  twice — some  days  grain  and 
some  days  none — they  cannot  he  made  to  thrive.  They  will  do  far  better 
on  inferior  Jaep,  if  fed  with  sti  ict  regularity.  In  a  climate  where  they  re- 
quire hay  three  times  a  day,  the  best  times  for  feeding  are  about  sunrise  in 
the  morning,  at  noon,  and  an  hour  Ixfore  dark  at  night.  Unlike  cattle  and 
horses,  sheep  do  not  eat  well  in  the  dark,  and  therefore  they  should  have 
time  to  consume  their  feed  before  night  sets  in.  Noon  is  the  common  time 
for  feeding  grain  or  roots,  and  is  the  best  time  if  but  twofodderings  of  hay 
are  given.  If  the  sheep  receive  hay  three  times,  it  is  not  a  matter  of 
much  consequence  with  which  feeding  the  grain  is  given,  only  that  the 
practice  be  uniform. 

It  is  also  highly  essential  that  there  be  regularity  preserved  in  the  amount 
fed.     The   consumption   of  hay  will,  it   is  true,  depend   much  upon   the 

'  For  the  effect  of  the  rarious  esculents  on  the  quaniity  and  quality  of  the  milk,  see  Liebig's  Animal  Cbem. 

2E 


218  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

weather.  The  keener  the  cold,  the  more  sheep  will  eat.  In  the  South 
much  would  also  depend  upon  the  amount  of  grass  obtained.  In  many 
places  a  light  daily  foddering  would  suffice — in  others,  a  light  foddeiing 
placed  in  the  depository  racks  once  in  two  days  would  answer  the  purpose. 
In  the  steady  cold  weather  of  the  North,  the  shepherd  readily  learns  to  de- 
termine about  how  much  hay  will  be  consumed  before  the  next  foddering 
time.  And  this  is  the  amount  which  should,  as  near  as  may  be,  be  regu- 
larly fed.  In  feeding  grain  or  roots  there  is  no  difficulty  in  preserving  en- 
tire regularity,  and  it  is  vastly  more  important  than  in  feeding  hay.  Of 
the  latter  a  sheep  will  not  overeat  and  surfeit  itself.  Of  the  former  it  will. 
And  if  not  fed  grain  to  the  point  of  surfeiting,  but  still  over-plenteously, 
it  will  expect  a  like  amount  at  the  next  feeding,  and  failing  to  receive  it, 
will  pine  for  it  and  manifest  uneasiness.  The  effect  of  such  irregulanty 
on  the  stomach  and  system  of  any  animal  is  bad — and  the  sheep  suffers 
more  from  it  than  any  other  animal.  I  would  much  rather  that  my  flock 
receive  no  grain  at  all,  than  that  they  receive  it  without  regard  to  regular- 
ity in  the  amount.  The  shepherd  should  be  required  to  measure  out  the 
grain  to  sheep  in  all  instances — instead  of  guessing  it  out — and  to  measure 
it  to  each  separate  flock. 

Salt. — Sheep  undoubtedly  require  salt  in  winter.  Some  salt  their  hay 
when  it  is  stored  in  the  barn  or  stack.  This  is  objectionable,  as  you  thus 
constitute  yourself  the  judge,  or  controller  in  a  matter,  where  the  appetite 
of  the  sheep  is  a  much  safer  guide.  It  may  be  left  accessible  to  them  in 
the  salt-box  (fig.  iiS)  as  in  summer,  or  it  is  an  excellent  plan  to  give  them  an 
occasional  feed  of  brined  hay  or  straw.  This  last  is  done  in  warm  thaw- 
ing weather,  when  their  appetite  is  poor,  and  thus  serves  a  double  purpose. 
With  a  wisp  of  straw  sprinkle  a  thin  layer  of  straw  with  brine — then  an- 
other layer  of  straw  and  another  sprinkling,  and  so  on.  Let  this  lie  until 
the  next  day,  for  the  brine  to  be  absorbed  by  the  straw,  and  then  feed  it  to 
all  the  grazing  animals  on  the  farm  which  need  salting. 

"Water. — Unless  sheep  have  access  to  succulent  food  or  clean  snow, 
water  is  indispensable.  Constant  access  to  a  brook  or  spring  is  best,  but 
in  default  of  this,  they  should  be  watered,  at  least  once  a  day,  in  some  other 
way. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH,  219 


LETTER  XIV. 

ANATOMY  AND  DISEASES  OF  SHEEP. 


Character  of  Amt>rir«n  ovine  vptcrinsry  works — of  ihn  Kiiijlish. ..  Anntoruicnl  dotails  of  thf  iMtor  valuable 
— neceHoity  or'  cuiuii''  clenr  from  iheir  «)>u-ra»  of  pallioioiiy  mid  tlierHpeuiicii — rcaoiis. .  .Kxciiirii^  cau8t;s 
of  UisfHSf  evrn  in  mijacinl  locahiies  ill  Kngland  not  llic  saini! — popiiliir  pupi'ioiiiions  on  the  eul.jcct.  ..Ne- 
cessarily treaier  iliH'ercnces  hj  between   ruiiiote  countries  posseseing  ditt'erent  climateK,  etc.. .  .Kiivnges  of 

rul  in  huriiiM,- — scan-ely  known  in  most  purls  of  AtnuiicH. .  .Kxiiting  cauces  iippaiently  the  sutne  in  b(jth 

lluof-ail,  though  retiiiiiud  here  by  coiiiimion,  not  [iriniaiily  jiroiluicil   by  tlio  Hiiiiie  causes  ae  in  Kngland 

Variims  KunijieHii  di-eastis  not  linown  iiere  —  Uittereni^t-  in  the  jmrbolofjy  of  the  same  diseases  in  ttiis  coun- 
Uy  and  in  Enjlaud. .  .The  Kiiijli.-h  ones  Hcconipanied  witli  tncue  inilniniimloiy  action — the  Aniehcau  of  aa 
a.'«lheiiic  or  sinking  ehai-MCter   ..rathnlogical  dittirences  n  quire  a  corrcspomling  difference  in  therapeutics 

Jiuyhsh  synteni  of  therapeutics  objectionable  for  the  aliove  reason — on  account  of  its  expensiveness — 

and,  for  popular  purposch,  by  the  extent  of  its  pbarinacopiie. .  .'J'he  prom  r  ovine  veterinary  system  to  he 
adopted— manner  of  classifying  diseases. .  .Anatomy  of  the  t-heep  — how  Uir  to  be  studied — directions  to  be- 
ginners. ..The  Omeniuin.  ..Tne  Huinen.  ..The  Kcticulum.  ..The  Muniplus. .  .The  Aboinasum.  ..'J'he  func- 
tions of  tlie  ditfi'ient   rftoiniichs. .  .'I"be  Duodenum. .  .'I'he  .lejuinmi. .  .The  Ileum The  C'n»cuin.  ..'I'he 

Colon.  ..The  Rectum.  ..The  Mesentary. . .Tne  process  of  diueolion.  ..The  Spleen.;. The  Pancreas... The 
Liver.  ..The  Kidneys.  ..The  Bladder. ..The  Uterus  and  Vagina. 


Dear  Sir :  Most  of  the  veterinary  works  which  have  appeared  in  this 
country  in  relation  to  the  Sheep,  Hor.se,  and  other  domestic  animals,  have 
been  made  up  simply  of  medical  recipes ;  or,  if  tliey  have  given  systems 
of  veterinary  nosology  and  pathology,  these  systems  have  been  mere  tran- 
scripts of  those  of  European,  and  particularly  of  English  writers. 

I  have  examined  all,  1  believe,  of  the  most  celebrated  late  English  au- 
thors, scientific  and  empirical,*  on  the  diseases  of  the  Sheep  and  their 
cures.  For  anatomical  and  general  pathological  details,  the  works  of  some 
of  the  former  possess  great  value,  and  compare  favorably  with  the  treatises 
on  the  same  topics  by  the  most  eminent  physicians  and  surgeons.  This  is 
particularly  true  of  the  work  on  Sheep  by  the  late  Mr.  Youatt — the  fount- 
ain-head from  which  most  of  the  later  English  writers  on  the  same  subject 
have  so  liberally  drawn,  and  will  probably  continue  so  to  do  for  a  century 
to  come.  For  miimte  accuracy  of  description,  particularly  in  tlie  depart- 
ment of  pathology — for  elaborate  research  into  both  facts  and  authorities 
— for  clearness  and  sparkling  vivacity  of  style,  this  gentleman,  it  seems  to 
me,  is  entirely  without  a  competitor  among  the  English  veterinarians,  and 
his  works  will  bear  reading  alongside  those  of  a  Cooper,  a  Louis,  and  a 
Chapman. 

I  have  hesitated  whether  to  transcribe  entire  Mr.  Youatt's  treatise  on 
the  Anatomy  of  the  Sheep.  It  would  be  the  sheerest  affectation — not  to 
say  placjiarism — to  publish  a  mere  abiidgment  of  his  remaiks,  or  their  sub- 
stance dressed  up  in  other  words,  as  some  late  English  writers  have  done, 
for  the  purpose  of  setting  up  pretensions  to  that  originality  which  Mr.  You- 
att has  left  so  little  room  for  in  this  department.  But  as  these  Letters,  Sir, 
are  ^^wi/i.y/i^'ti  for  the  benefit  of  the  many,  rather  tlian  to  instnict  those  al- 
ready versed  to  any  considerable  extent  in  Veterinary  Science,  I  have  been 
led  to  doubt  whether  a«//  systematic  treatise  on  Anatomy  is  necessary.  On 
the  whole,  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  farther  than  to  exhibit  the 


•  I  do  not  tlie  th«  word  "empirical"  here  in  its  invidious  sense.  I  mean  to  depcrihe  bv  it  a  class  of 
writers  rrrttd  in  rrprrimentt  mrrrlif.  as  contradistinguished  from  those  who  possess  a  scicnlitic  knowledge 
of  physiology,  pathology,  therapeullos,  &.C. 


220  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

localities  of  disease,  explain  certain  operations  in  the  animal  economy,  and 
render  terms  intelligible,  it  would  be  time  thrown  away. 

In  pathology  somewhat,  and  to  a  much  greater  extent  in  the  systems  of 
therapeutics  adopted,  [  have  found  it  necessary  to  cut  clear  from  all  Eng- 
lish ovine  veterinarians.  If  this  is  regarded  as  presumptuous,  I  have  only 
to  say  that  the  testimony  or  opinions  of  that  man  are  worth  little  who  so 
far  pins  his  faith  on  another's  views,  as  to  disregard  the  plain  evidence  of 
his  own  senses.  The  salutary  rule  of  the  law  is,  each  witness  testifies  to 
what  lie  has  seen,  and  to  what,  crediting  the  assertions  of  his  own  senses, 
he  knows.  It  is  for  the  investigating  tribunal  to  decide  what  weight  shall 
be  attached  to  the  testimony.  That  tribunal,  in  the  present  case,  is  the 
pubhc. 

But  in  reality,  a  discrepancy  of  views  on  the  above  subjects,  does  not  ne- 
cessarUy  imply  an  error  on  either  side.  The  pathology  of  diseases  fre- 
quently does  not  coincide,  as  between  different  climates  and  countries,  and 
sometimes,  singularly  enough,  between  contiguous  localities  in  the  same 
country.  This  is  especially  true  as  regards  the  origin  or  exciting  cause 
of  disease.  Where  the  atmospheric,  alimentary,  and  all  other  observable 
conditions  are  nearly  identical,  occult  causes  which  baffle  the  closest  and 
most  scientific  scrutiny,  not  unfrequently  either  periodically  or  regularly, 
scourge  man  or  beast  with  disease  in  one  locality,  while  another  one  is  al- 
most uniformly  exempt  from  these  attacks.  What  English  pathologist,  for 
example,  has  ever  assigned  a  physical  cause  which  would  answer,  quanti- 
tatively, as  a  criterion  to  decide  on  the  proportionable  prevalence  of  the 
same  malady  in  other  regions — or  the  existence  of  which  would  even  prove 
that  the  disease  existed  at  all — for  the  frequent  appearance  of  goitre  [bron- 
c/ioce/e)  among  the  inhabitants  of  Derbyshire,  and  the  comparative  exemp- 
tion from  it  of  the  inhabitants  of  contiguous  counties?*  The  theatres  of 
its  especial  visitation,  in  other  parts  of  the  world,  seem  to  be  equally  de- 
termined by  chance — though  undoubtedly  dependent  upon  physical  causes 
which  have  as  yet  eluded  observation. 

It  is  not  astonishing,  therefore,  that  the  ig-norant  down  to  our  own  times, 
and  even  the  enlightened,  until  a  period  comparatively  recent,  should  have 
Bought  the  incomprehensible  causes  of  many  diseases,  in  the  i-egions  of  the 
preternatural.  Among  brutes  especially,  which  were  supposed  to  be  more 
given  up  to  such  influences,  these  phenomena  were  conveniently  assigned, 
by  our  English  and  Scotch  ancestors,  to 

"  Bome  dev'Iish  cantrip  slight" 

of  "  warlocks  and  witches  " — the  malevolence  of  an  offended  fairy  or  spite- 
ful gnome.t 

*  I  understand  that  the  inhabitants  of  the  adjoining  counties  of  Stafford,  Nottingham  and  Leicester  are 
comparatively  exempt  from  the  attack  of  goitre. 

t  In  Bums's  inimitable  Tarn  O'Shanter,  some  of  the  singular  powers  once  exercised 
"by  withered  beldams  auld  and  droll 

Lowping  and  flinging  on  a  crummock" — 
and  Bometiines,  though  far  more  rarely,  by  "  ae  winsome  wench  and  wnlie,"  to  turn  ncide  the  pstnblifhed 
laws  of  Nature  and  God's  providence,  are  thus  enumerated  in  describing  one  of  the  diabolical  sisterhood: 
"  Mony  a  beast  to  dead  she  shot, 
And  perished  mony  a  bonny  boat, 
And  shook  haith  meikle  corn  and  bear, 
And  kept  the  country-side  in  fear." 
No  one  will  understand  that  the  witch,  in  full  league  with  the  Devil,  had  any  occasion  for  mortal  fire- 
arms, in  "shooting''  the  beaFts  of  her  victims.     Murrain,  and  in  some  cases  death,  followed  a  glance  of  her 
"  evil  eye.''     And  even  the  witches  of  Tiurns  are  tame  everyday  bodies,  compared  with  those  which  swell 
the  infernal  dramatic  pemnntF  of  Faust,  or  minple  in  the  gloomy  horrors  of  Macbeth. 

Two  centuries  ago,  and  even  less,  there  was  not  a  parish  in  Kngland,  a  hill  or  dell  in  Pcotland,  or  even  a 
colonized  nook  in  the  wild  woods  of  America,  where  witchcraft  was  not  rife  ;  and  mvltitvden  in  every  rank 
In  life  were  conslgped  to  the  gallows,  the  faggot,  Btrangling.  &c.,  for  this  crime,  by  the  highest  judicial  tri- 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  221 

Equally  unphilosophical,  and  not  less  mischievous  in  its  effects  on  the 
progress  of  medical  science,  are  those  religious  views,  widely  prevalent 
even  at  the  present  day,  which  in  every  epizootic  as  well  as  epidemic 
scourge,  recognize  only  a  direct  Theocratic  infliction,  operating  witlntut 
the  intervention  of  physical  causes.  If  these  doctrines  do  not,  as  when 
carried  to  their  full  extent  among  the  Mussulmans — who  yield  a  jiassive 
non-resistance  to  plague  and  contlagration  as  tin;  direct  expression  of  (Jod's 
will — lead  to  an  entire  abandonment  of  remedial  measures,  they  at  least 
deter  scrutiny  into  the  inducing  natural  causes,  and  thus  occasion  a  neglect 
of  all  prtrcntive,  and  a  much  less  perfect  understanding  of  appropriate 
retried  till  action. 

Between  countries  widely  separated — where  their  climates  and  other 
circumstances  exhibit  considerable  differences — it  would  naturally  be  ex- 
pected that  still  greater  discrepancies  would  appear  in  their  local  nosoloe^v. 
England  and  the  L  nited  States  are  subject  to  several  coiTesponding  o\-ine 
diseases,  yet  it  is  notorious  that  some  of  the  most  destructive  ones  of  the 
former  are  unknown,  or  next  to  unknown,  in  the  latter.  The  rot,  accord- 
ing to  Mr.  Youatt,  destroys  a  million  of  sheep  annually  in  the  British  Isl- 

bunnla  of  Encland  and  Scotland — the  former  presided  over  by  such  men  as  Sir  Matthew  Hale  !  One  ap- 
proved raelliod  of  delecting  witches  was  to  wrap  the  suspected  persons  in  a  sheet,  the  ijreBt  toes  and  thumbs 
being  tied  toat-iher.  and  then  dniirgiiig  them  thmu^-h  a  pond  or  river.  If  they  sank  ih<  y  were  iruililess— if 
not,  ihoir  fate  is  thus  alluUed  to  by  Uudibras  in  his  description  of  the  monstef  Hopkins,  the  "  VViteh-linder 
General''  of  England : 

"  .And  has  he  not  within  a  year 

Hanged  threescore  of  them  in  one  shire? 

tome  only  for  not  bting  drowned!" 
That  miserable  driveler  and  pedant,  James  VI.  of  Scotland,  defended  this  "  trial  by  water."  inasmuch  as 
witches  having  renounrtd  their  baptism,  so  it  is  just  that  the  element  through  ichi,h  the  hn'y  rite  is  enforced, 
thauld  reject  them  .'  This  pusillanimous  monarch,  who  shook  at  the  sight  oj  a  dravn  svord,  whs  the  keenest 
instigator  in  his  kingdom  of  tortures  and  prosecutions  for  suspectedwitchcraft,  and  be  continued  so  after 
hia  accession  to  the  English  throne.  He  was  often  prts.nt  at  the  examination  of  accused  persons,  and  the 
Scotch  juries  did  not  dare  to  acquit  their  victims,  fearing  the  severest  punishment  on  themselves  for  "  will- 
ful error  upon  an  assize,"  a  proceeding  which  leftLhem  at  the  mercy  of  the  Crown,  and  which  was  in  some 
instances  actually  resorted  to  ! 

The  elves  or  fairies,  the  dwarfs,  etc.,  have  sorely  afflicted  the  shepherd,  as  well  as  all  other  husbandmen, 
in  bygone  days.  Their  caprices  were  innumerable.  Even  in  this,  as  iMr.  Carlyle  would  say,  l!lth  century 
of  God's  worid,  the  ugly  and  monster-headed  Phaam  is  sometimes  seen  on  the  lonely  Kells  of  Galloway, 
and  the  declivities  of  the  eastern  Grampians.  He  not  unfrequenily  shows  himself  in  the  dawn  of  the  morn- 
ing on  the  mountains  around  Cairn  Gorm  and  Lochavin.  and  if  man  or  beast  even  goes  near  the  place  where 

he  has  been  before  the  sun  shines  upon  it,  straightway  their  heads  swell  enoi-motisly  and  >hey  otlen  die. 

This  is  the  origin  of  that  frequent  disease,  the  "swelled  head"  in  she»"p !  At  least,  so  the  inhabitants  of 
those  regions  informed  the  Ettrick  Shepherd.  (.*ee  Hocg's  Shepherd's  Guide. >  But  alas  !  for  ihe  ^'ay  and 
courtly  fairies — the  very  aristocracy  of  goblin-dom  !  Who  would  not  have  his  flocks,  yea.  am)  his  herds 
too.  annually  decimated  to  restore  them  lb  our  utilitarianized  world  !  Oberon,  Titania,  Mab,  Puck  and  Ariel 
are  gone  I    They  no  longer 

"  on  the  sands  with  printless  foot 

Do  chase  the  ebbing  Neptune,  and  do  lly  him 

When  he  comes  back  " 

no  longer 

"  in  the  spiced  Indian  air,  by  night, 

They  dance  their  ringlets  to  the  whistling  wind." 

The  elves  of  the  colder  regions  north  of  the  Alps,  who  erst  danced  their  "  roundel  rites"  on  the  hanks  of 
the  Rhine  and  the  green  hillocks  of  Britain — who  with  their  splendid  appointments,  coursers  whose  feet 
spumed  the  limber  air,  saddles  of  ■•  rewel  bone  " 

"Bryht  with  mony  a  precious  stone 
And  compasyd  all  with  crapste," 
outshone  the  splendors  of  Chivalry — who  fought  manful  under  shield,  wounding  and  discomfiting  even  hu- 
man antagonists,  as  related  by  Gervase  of  Tilbury,  and   by  Hfinrich  von  Of^eniinL-in  in  the  Heldenbiich 

who  loved,  wooed  and  were  won  much  after  the  human  fashion,  and  eometimi'S  exchansred  such  favors 
with  humanity,  as  is  proved  by  the  adventure  of  Thomas  the  Rymer  under  the  "  Elden  tree" — all  are  gone  ! 
The  wands  of  Scott  and  of  Bulwer  could  not  stay  their  departure  !  Naked,  rugged-featured,  unpottical 
Utility  has  it  all  her  own  way  now-a-days  ! 

In  the  language  of  Rt.  Rev.  Dr.  Corbett,  Bishop  of  Oxford  and  Norwich  in  the  beginning  of  the  17ih 
centory, 

"  Lament,  lament,  old  abbeys, 
The  Fairies'  lost  command  ; 
They  did  but  change  priests'  babies, 
But  some  have  chansed  your  land  ; 
And  all  your  children  sprung  from  hence 

Are  now  grown  Puritans, 
^Vho  live  as  cbaneelings  ever  since 
For  love  of  your  domains." 


222  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

ands — and  m  1830-1,  the  number  swept  off  much  exceeded  two  millions.* 
Its  ravages  are  equally  fatal  in  Germany,  and  more  so  in  Egypt.  It  is 
also  common  in  France,  Spain,  Australia,  &c.  There  is  nothing  sufficient- 
ly marked  in  its  diagnosis  to  effectually  distinguish  it  from  some  other  dis- 
eases, to  a  person  possessing  no  previous  practical  acquaintance  with  it, 
or  no  more  veterinary  knowledge  than  is  common  among  farmers ;  and 
when  a  slow  train  of  wasting  symptoms  have  occurred,  and  the  structure 
of  the  liver  is  found  disorganized,  after  death,  it  is  not  uncommon  in  this 
country  to  pronounce  it  a  case  of  the  rot.  The  same  mistake,  according 
to  Dr.  Coventry  (late  Professor  of  Agriculture  in  the  University  of  Edin- 
burgh), is  often  made  by  even  the  shepherds  and  flock-masters  of  Europe.t 
There  are  other  diseases  besides  the  rot  which  specifically  attack  the  in- 
tegrity of  the  liver.  Even  fasciola  or  flukes  in  the  liver,  the  most  infalli- 
ble diagnostic,  to  the  common  eye,  of  the  rot,  also,  accoi'ding  to  Dr.  Cov- 
entry, accompany  hepatitis  chronica.  I  will  not  take  upon  me  to  deny  that 
the  rot  ever  exists  in  the  Northern  States,  but  I  have  yet  to  see,  or  hear 
of,  adequately  authenticated,  the  first  undoubted  instance  ;  and  this  would 
go  to  show  that  if  isolated  cases  of  it  do  sometimes  occur,  it  has  dwindled 
from  the  wholesale  destroyer  of  Europe  to  an  obscure  and  occasional  dis- 
ease. The  same  remarks  apply  to  existence  of  the  disease  in  the  Southern 
Atlantic  and  Gulf  States,  judging  from  the  statements  of  my  correspond- 
ents, and  from  the  agricultural  newspapers.  I  cannot  learn  from  either 
of  these  sources  that  anything  analogous  to  this  malady  is  common  in  those 
States.  According  to  Mr.  Cockerel,  of  Tennessee,  and  Mr.  Flower,  of  Illi- 
nois, the  rot  docs  prevail  in  our  Western  States ;  and  the  latter  gentleman, 
who  has,  I  presume,  seen  the  disease  in  Europe,  and  who  ought  therefore 
to  be  familiar  with  its  pra'-mortcm  and  post-mortem  appearances,  states 
that  it  occurs  in  Southern  Illinois  "  from  suffering  sheep  to  pasture  on  land 
that  is  overflowed  with  water  ;"  and  he  adds,  "  even  a  crop  of  green  oats, 
early  in  the  fall  before  a  frost  comes,  has  been  known  to  rot  young  sheep." 

It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  Mr.  Livingston — equally  distinguished  for 
research  and  observation — does  not  include  the  rot  in  his  list  of  American 
ovine  diseases.  This  affords  a  strong  corroboration  of  the  position  I  have 
assumed  in  relation  to  the  existence  of  this  disease  in  the  North-eastern 
States,  and  those  of  the  Southern  ones  lying  east  of  the  Apalachians.| 

The  Hoof-ail,  though  introduced  here  by  contagion,  and  kept  in  constant 
existence  by  the  same  means,  does  not  appear,  in  the  common  phrase,  to 
originate  spontancoiishj,  as  in  Europe  ;  or,  in  other  words,  to  be  excited  by 
any  other  causes  than  contagion.  I  have  never  known  an  instance  going, 
even  colorably,  to  prove  the  contrary  of  this  proposition. 

Acute  dropsy  or  Red-water,  I  judge  to  be  an  exceedingly  rare  disease  in 
tlie  Northern  States,  though  the  author  of  the  American  Shepherd  thinks 
differently.il 

Enteretis,  or  inflammation  of  the  coats  of  the  intestines;  blain,  or  in- 
flammation of  the  cellular  tissue  of  the  tongue  ;  and  a  whole  train  of  other 
diseases — including  most  of  the  frightful  list  of  infectious  or  contagious 
European  epizootics — seem  to  be  unknown  in  this  country. 

Why  there  should  be  so  wide  a  difference  between  the  ovine  nosology 
of  Europe  and  the  United  States,  is  a  matter  of  curious  and  interesting 
speculation.     Whether  it  will  always  remain  so,  or  whether  the  advent  of 


*  YouBtt  on  Shcpp,  p.  445. 

f  See  remarks  of  Dr.  Coventry,  quoted  at  some  length  in  Mountain  Shepherd's  Mnnunl,  p.  20. 

%  1  limit  the  remark  to  the  States  lying  (mostly)  east  of  these  mountains,  hecnuse  they  would  probably 
be  tht^  (inly  ones,  at  the  time  at  which  Mr.  Livingston  wrote,  with  the  Sheep  Husbandry  of  which  he  would 
be  supposed  to  he  familiar. 

11  American  Shepherd,  p.  309. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUT  I.  223 


the  European  diseases  is  only  dt-hiyed  here  for  more  artificial  systems  of 
feeding,  breculing,  or  ])erhaj»s  more  artitieial  systems  of  Airriculture  af- 
fecting the  aliment  of  the  sheep,  or  other  and  unexplainable  causes,  time 
alone  must  determine. 

It'  we  look  for  these  differences  in  the  observable  differences  of  climate, 
we  find  no  satisfactory  solution  of  the  ])roblem.  The  climate  of  England 
is  essentially  dilferent  from  our  own — but  that  it  is  a  favorable  one  for  the 
healthy  development  of  all  the  animal  tissues,  her  large,  strong,  long- 
lived  population,  as  well  as  her  well-developed  animal  kingdom,  abun- 
dantly attest.  The  atmosphere  of  England  is  a  moist  and  humid  one,  and 
moisture  is  thought  to  be  one  of  the  necessary  predis])osing  causes  of  both 
rot  and  hoof-ail.  Of  the  origin  of  the  former  disease,  Mr.  Youatt 
remarks  :  * 

"  Tlie  rot  in  sheep  is  evidt'ntly  connected  with  the  soil  or  stale  ol'  the  pasture.  It  is  con- 
fined to  wet  sca.«on.».  or  to  ihe  tecdinj;  on  ground  moist  and  marshy  at  all  seasons.  It  has 
reference  to  the  e vaponition  ot"  water,  and  to  the  presence  and  decomposition  ol'  moist  veget- 
able matter.  It  is  rarely,  or  ahnost  never,  on  dry  and  sandy  soils  and  in  dry  seiisons ;  it  is 
rarely  vvimting  on  hogsy  or  poachy  ground,  except  when  that  groimd  is  dried  by  the  heat  of 
the  sunnner  sun.  or  completely  covcre<l  by  the  winter  rain.  In  the  same  farm  there  are  cer- 
tain fields  on  which  no  sheep  can  bo  turned  with  impunity.  There  are  others  that  seldom 
or  never  give  the  rot." 

Mr.  Youatt  continues  liis  descriptions  of  these  predisposing  conditions 
at  great  length,  and  his  final  conclusion  is,  in  substance,  that  the  miasmata, 
or  gases  exhaling  from  the  decomposition  of  vegetable  substances,  are  the 
causes  of  the  rot.  Mr.  Spooner  adopts  the  same  views ;  indeed,  they  are 
universally  received  among  scientific  veterinarians. 

If  these  views  are  correct,  the  evil  lies  not  in  a  generally  humid  afmo- 
sjyhcre,  but  in  a  generally  or  temporarily  humid  soil ;  and  that  they  are 
true  quo  ad  hoc,  is  proved  by  the  fearful  ravages  of  the  disease  in  the 
driest  atmosphere  of  Germany,  in  the  clear,  dry  atmosphere  of  the  South 
of  France,  and  under  the  torrid  skies  of  southern  Spain,  where  rain  does 
not  fall  for  months. 

Boggy  or  fenny  soils,  where  decaying  vegetable  substances  are  con- 
stantly exhaling  their  gases,  are  to  be  found  in  all  parts  of  the  United. 
States — more  or  less,  in  every  township,  and  altnost  every  school  district 
of  New-York  and  New-England.  Sheep  pasture  on  such  lands,  promis- 
cuously w'ith  other  stock,  in  every  county — and,  in  the  latter  States,  at 
least,  with  entire  impunity  from  the  rot. 

Humidity  of  soil  is  also  supposed  to  be  the  most  prominent  cause  in 
originating  hoof-ail,  or  producing  it  otherwise  than  by  contagion.  Mr. 
Youatt  and  Professor  Dick  attribute  the  disease  most  often  to  the  effect 
of  sand  and  dirt  forced  into  the  pores  of  the  hoof,  when  macerated  by 
moisture.  •  The  following  is  the  language  of  Professor  Dick: 

"  Tlie  finest  and  ricl)(\'»t  old  pastures  and  lawns  are  particularly  liable  to  give  this  disease, 
and  so  are  soft,  marshy  and  hixuriant  meadows.  It  exists  to  a  greater  or  less  extent  in  every 
situation  that  has  a    tendency  to   increase   the   growth   of  the  hoofs  without  wearing  them 

away The  (htTerent  i>arts  of  the  hoof,  deprived  of  their  natural  wear,  grow  out  of 

thfiir  proper  proportions.  The  crust,  especiiilly,  grows  too  long;  and  the  overgrown  parts 
either  bn-ak  off  in  irretiular  rents,  or  l)y  oversliooting  llie  sole  allow  small  particles  of  sand 
and  dirt  to  enter  into  the  pores  of  the  hoof  These  particles  soon  reach  the  quick,  and  set 
up  the  intiamniation  already  described  and  followed  by  all  its  destructive  effects."  t 

The  same  writer  assigns  another  cause  for  it — inflammation  induced  by 
an  improper  bearing  of  the  foot,  caused  by  the  unnatural  growth  of  the  horn 
on  wet  pastures. 

Mr.  Spooner  attributes  the  disease  to  decaying  vegetables — "  roots  and 


'  Youatt  on  Sheep,  p.  451.  t  See  Dick,  quoted  by  Youatt,  p.  527,  528. 


224  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

leaves  of  the  grasses  in  a  state  of  rottenness  " — brought  in  contact  with  the 
sheep's  foot  when  "  blanclied  and  weakened  by  continual  moisture  !  "* 

There  is  another  point  of  difference  in  the  pathology  of  ovine  diseases 
in  this  and  the  old  world,  judging  from  the  details  furnished  by  the  Eng- 
lish veterinarians.  Most  of  the  pyrexia!  diseases,  in  England,  are  accom- 
panied, at  least  in  their  initiatory  stages,  with  active  inflammatory  symp- 
toms. Fever  runs  high,  and  decidedly  antiphlogistic  treatment  is  called 
for.  On  the  other  hand,  so  far  as  my  observation  and  inquiries  have  ex- 
tended, the  ovine  diseases  of  the  United  States  are  usually  of  an  asthenic 
nature — characterized  by  debility  from  the  outset.  The  difference  in  the 
physical  character,  feeding,  and  ordinary  state  of  fatness  of  the  sheep  of 
the  two  countries,  offei's,  perhaps,  a  sufficient  explanation  of  these  facts. 
The  gross,  high-fed  English  sheep,  forced  forward  by  bountiful  feeding  to 
an  unnaturally  precocious  maturity,  is  always  in  a  high  state  of  plethora, 
and  predisposed,  therefore,  to  inflammatory  action.  A  slight  derangement 
of  any  function,  produced  by  a  cold,  by  an  error  in  feeding,  or  by  any  other 
causes,  is  sufficient  to  make  the  organs  exercising  those  functions  the  seat  of 
such  action.  On  the  other  hand,  the  sheep  of  the  United  States,  kept  mainly 
for  wool-growing  purposes,  is  rarely  raised  above  a  moderately  fleshy  or 
medium  condition.  And,  unexcited  by  an  unnaturally  plethoric  habit,  the 
weak  vascular  and  muscular  system  of  the  animal  little  predisposes  it  to 
inflammatory  disease. 

A  difference  in  the  pathological  character  of  disease  requires  a  corre- 
sponding difference  in  the  system  of  therapeutics  adopted.  The  English 
system  of  therapeutics  is  decidedly  objectionable,  here,  first,  on  the  ac- 
count just  named  ;  secondly,  from  its  expensiveness  ;  and,  thirdly,  (for 
jfopular  purposes,)  by  the  extent  and  complexity  of  its  pharmacology, 

1.  As  has  been  already  remarked,  most  of  the  English  ovine  diseases 
commence  with  pyrexiae — and  the  fever  is  synochal  or  inflammatory  in  its 
type.  The  subject  is  strong,  plethoric,  and  full  of  blood.  Antiphlogistic 
treatment  is  clearly  called  for.  Accordingly,  depletion,  by  bleeding  or 
purgatives,  or  both,  is  first  and  promptly  resorted  to  by  the  English  veteri- 
narian. In  the  United  States,  also,  most  important  constitutional  diseases 
commence  with  pyrexije,  but  the  fever  in  its  first  discovered  stage  is  almost 
uniformly  of  a  low,  sinking,  typhoid  type,  accompanied  with  great  pros- 
tration of  muscular  energy.  The  animal  is  in  a  leanish  or  only  moder- 
ately fleshy  condition.  It  has  been  confined  to  dry,  and  perhaps  rather 
unnutritious  food — for  most  of  the  list  of  constitutional  maladies,  here, 
make  their  attacks  in  the  winter,  and  old,  lean,  and  feeble  sheep  are  usu- 
ally the  first  victims.  A  sheep  is  observed  drooping,  and  indifferent  to 
food.  It  is  caught  and  examined.  Whatever  organ  or  portion  of  the  sys- 
tem is  laboring  under  attack,  bleed  so  as  to  produce  a  constitutional  im- 
pression, (which  the  English  veterinarians  almost  invariably  7-ecommend, 
where  they  recommend  bleeding  at  all,)  and  follow  this  with  an  active 
purgative,  and  in  four  cases  out  of  five  the  sheep  will,  in  the  expressive 
phrase  of  the  English  shepherds,  "  take  the  ground  "  ;  it  will  never  rise 
from  the  ground  more  without  assistance,  and  Avill  soon  become  unable  to 
stand  when  set  u})on  its  feet.  Growing  weaker  and  weaker,  it  soon  re- 
fuses to  eat,  and  death  supervenes.  These  remarks  are  not  designed  to 
apply  to  stall-fed  wethers,  or  other  very  high-conditioned  sheep. 

2.  The  English,  and  indeed  the  European  method  of  treating  diseases 
is  too  expensive  for  this  country.  In  curing  hoof-ail,  e.  g.,  Mr.  Youatt,  after 
recommending  washing  in  chloride  of  lime,  and  cauterizing,  says  : 

*  This  seems  to  me  a  most  unphilosophical  cause  to  be  assigned  by  a  veterinarian  of  the  standing  of  Mr. 
Spooner. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  225 


"  If  the  foot  has  been  in  a  msinner  stripped  of  its  horn,  anil  e«pfiially  if  a  considiTuhle  por- 
tion of  tlie  sole  1)118  l>een  removed,  it  iiiiiy  be  expedient  to  vviaji  a  Utile  clean  tow  round 
the  foot,  and  to  bind  it  tijilitly  down  with  u  Uipe,  the  sheep  being  removed  to  a  straw-yard, 

or  some  ini'losed  space,  or  to  a  drier  pasture The  foot  should  be  drensed  rn-ry  day, 

each  new  8eparation  of  horn  removed,  and  every  portion  of  the  fungus  tiubmitted  to  the 
caustic.''  * 

Mr.  Spooner  recommends  daily,  ami  not  less  troublesome  treat mcnt.t 
The  Mountain  Sbejilieicrs  Mainial  recommends  daily  tr<'atment,t  and  this 
is  the  case,  I  believe,  \v\\.h  nearly  all,  if  not  all, of  the  foreii;:i  ve;eriiiaiians. 
Professor  Pictet,  of  Switzerland,  in  addition  to  daily  applications,  fumij^a- 
tions,  etc.,  ininimerable,  goes  a  step  beyond  "low  pledgets  and  tape  band- 
ages."    He  says  : 

"  In  order  to  i>revent  any  dirt,  &c.,  from  getting  into  the  wotind,  the  diseased  foot  should 
be  placed  in  a  little  boot,  the  sole  of  w  hich  is  of  leather  or  felt,  and  the  ui)per  part  of  cloth, 
iu  order  to  fasten  it  rooad  the  leg  of  the  sheep." 

This  disease  ra^es  most  when  haying  and  harvesting  are  at  their  hitrht, 
in  the  Northern  States — in  July  and  August — and  wlien  the  labor  oi"  day 
hands  costs  finm  seventy-five  cents  to  a  dollar  per  liead  per  diem.  Half 
the  flocks  in  the  country  can  then  be  bought  for  SI  2i>  per  head.  How 
soon  daily  parings,  cauterizings,  embrocations,  fumigations,  etc.,  including 
the  expense  of  drugs  and  Professor  Pictet's  gaiter-boot.s,  would  reach  an 
expense  equivalent  to  the  price  of  a  sound  sheep,  it  requires  not  the  exer- 
cise of  much  arithmetic  to  determine  !  It  would  certainly  be  more  eco- 
nomical to  kill  sheep  of  any  ordinary  grade  in  the  first  instance  ! 

The  same  remark  will  apply  to  the  English  system  of  treating  nearly 
all  important  diseases.  The  labor  bestowed  on  it  would  be  worth  more, 
here,  than  the  value  of  the  sheep. 

3.  The  English  ovine  veterinary  pharmacopaeia  is  too  extensive  and 
complex  for  popular  use.  The  prescribed  formuke  are  so  compound  in 
their  character — so  minute  oftentimes  in  their  quantitative  proportions — re- 
quire so  much  skill  for  their  chemical  and  mechanical  admixture — and, 
lastly,  and  more  important  than  all  the  rest,  they  demand  so  much  med- 
ical knowledge  for  their  proper  and  timely  administration — that  they  can 
be  generally  used  with  safety  and  advantage  only  by  professional  veteri- 
narians, a  class  entirely  wanting,  unless  occasionally  in  cities,  in  the  United. 
States.  Besides,  our  ordinary  country  drug-stores  are  usually  lacking  in 
many  of  the  articles  included  in  the  European  prescriptions|| — and  no  one, 
without  possessing  considerable  medical  knowledge,  could  decide  what 
effect  it  would  have  on  the  prescription  to  subtract  this  or  that  ingredient. 
It  misjht  neutralize  its  effects,  or  even  render  it  pernicious. 

A  veteinnary  system  for  anything  like  popular  use,  in  this  country,  must 
be  exceedingly  simple  in  its  remedies,  and.  in  its  rules  for  their  administra- 
tion. As  it  is  impossible  to  describe  the  various  symptoms  which  may 
exhibit  themselves  in  a  disease,  so  as  to  be  understood  by  all,  it  is  unsafe 
to  prescribe  a  constant  change  of  medicines,  applicable  to  the  several 
states  which  have  caused  those  symptoms  to  appear.  Indeed,  changes  in 
medicine  should  only  be  made  consequent  on  those  distinct  crises  of  dis- 
ease which  can  be  detected  and  understood  by  the  most  ordinary  observer. 
Prescriptions,  therefore,  inapplicable,  or  at  least  unsafe,  in  any  stage  from 
one  distinct  crisis  of  disease  to  another,  should,  as  far  as  practicable,  be 
avoided.  True,  such  a  system  of  therapeutics  will  be  very  imperfect,  par- 
ticularly in  the  treatment  of  serious  constitutional  maladies.     But  it  will  go 

_*  Vouart,  p.  ."sag.  t  .Spooner,  (endorfing  the  views  of  Mr.  Read,)  p.  438  to  442. 

"J  ^uim  ride,  p.  27. 
II  Not  unfrequentJy  the  mott  important  ones,  as  I  know  from  repeated  experience. 


226  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

as  far  as  the  knowledge  of  the  uninstructed  practitioner  will  safely  admit 
of^ — and  if,  even  in  cases  of  constitutional  disease,  it  should  simply  cause 
him  to  do  no  hurt  hy  his  interference,  and  prevent  him  from  resorting  to 
some  miserahly  ignorant  empiric* — the  most  important  object,  perhaps, 
would  be  attained.  It  is  infinitely  safer  in  such  diseases  to  rely  on  unaided 
Nature  to  effect  the  cure,  than  to  submit  a  sheep,  or  any  other  animal,  to 
the  drugging  and  dosing  of  a  pei'son  ignorant  of  the  true  nature  of  the 
disease,  and  of  the  remedies  which  he  employs.  If  is  better  to  do  too  lit- 
tle than  to  do  too  much ;  and  in  all  cases  where  it  is  not  known  what  to  do, 
it  is  better  to  do  nothing. 

Lord  Western,  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Bischoff,  says  :t 

"  I  have  little  to  say  on  the  medical  treatment  of  sheep ;  my  study  is  prevention  by  suffi- 
cient wholesome  food,  with  a  coiistant  and  abundant  supply  of  salt  in  every  yard  and  every 

field When  sheep  are   taken  ill,  there  is  little  hope  lor  them,  and  rarely  any  use  iu 

administermg  medicines." 

If  the  latter  portion  of  this  remark  is  true  among  the  educated,  intelli- 
gent and  experienced  veterinarians  of  England,  how  much  more  must  it 
be  so  among  those  destitute  of  even  the  first  rudiments  of  veterinary  sci- 
ence !  In  relation  to  some  of  the  more  serious  constitutional  maladies,  af- 
ter conbideraV)le  experience  and  observation,  I  feel  constrained  to  express 
the  opinion  that  the  remark  is,  to  a  considerable  extent,  true.  The  sheep 
is  almost  as  unsatisfactory  a  patient  to  deal  with,  in  some  such  cases, 
as  the  hog,  of  which  it  is  frequently  said,  with  no  great  exaggeration, 
"  that  if  he  is  seriously  sick  he  is  sure  to  die,  and  the  more  you  do 
for  him  the  sooner  he  will  die  !  "  "  Then  why  give  a  therapeutic  system 
at  all  in  a  class  of  diseases  where  it  will  do  so  little  good  ?  "  In  the  first 
place,  the  cases  are  perhaps  few  where  judicious  prescriptions  will  not 
somewhat  diminish  the  tendency  to  a  fatal  result ;  btit  the  great  reason, 
after  all,  is,  that  every  man  having  a  sick  animal  tcill  dose  and  physic  it, 
or  will  permit  some  officious  neighbor  to  do  so,  or  ^oill  call  in  that  most 
dangerous  of  all  epizo'otics,  the  cattle-doctor.  It  is  therefore  better  in  the 
most  hopeless  cases,  to  give  a  few  simple  directions,  based  on  sound  med- 
ical principles,  which  will  not,  at  all  events,  aggravate  the  disease,  and 
which  will  tend  to  alleviate  or  suppress  it,  rather  than  to  surrender  the 
helpless  animal  over  to  the  additional  tortures  inflicted  by  ignorance  and 
quackery.  Fortunate  it  is  that  well-managed  sheeji,  in  this  country,  are 
so  little  subject  to  such  diseases  ! 

In  classifying  diseases,  I  shall  depart  from  the  system  adopted  by  You- 
att,  Spooner,  etc.,  who  arrange  them  with  reference  to  the  parts  of  the  sys- 
tem they  more  especially  attack,  as,  for  example,  "  diseases  of  the  brain," 

*  The  self-matriculated  "  cattle  doctor"  is  a  decidedly  interesting  personage.  His  qualifications  are  nu- 
merous, and  it  is  somewhat  difficult  to  find  them  all  brilliantly  combined  in  the  same  jierson.  He  should 
be  the  most  ignorant  man  in  the  town,  particularly  in  everyt'Viinp  relatin<r  to  the  anatomy  and  physiology 
of  man  or  beast.  He  should  be  equally  isnorant  of  the  chemical  and  medicinal  properties  of  nearly  all  the 
drxigs  used  by  him.  His  prescriptions,  to  give  them  due  potency,  should  consist  of  a  great  number  of  in- 
gredients— a  large  portion  of  them  bearing  very  "hard  vames."  Ho  should  flank  and  fortify  these,  at  least 
in  all  difficult  cases,  with  substances  possessing  rare  occult  virtues,  entirely  unknown  to  "human  physi- 
cians," such  as  the  '•  blood  of  black  cats,"  the  "  entrails  of  fowls,"  "  human  fifices,"  simples  culled  under  pe- 
culiar circumstances — 

"Root  of  hemlock,  digged  i'  the  dark, 

*  *  *  slips  of  yew. 

Slivered  in  the  moon's  eclipse." 

He  should  decidedly  affect  the  mysterious,  and  should  always  repel  the  attempted  intrusions  of  ordinary 
humanity— the  profane  vulgar— into  the  arcana  of  his  hi^-h  art.  He  should  have  half  a  dozen  maladies,  such 
as  "  baked  in  the  manyfolds,"  "overflow  of  the  gall."  "  kidney  disease."  "  rising  of  the  lights,"  "strained 
across  the  loin."  etc..  to  which  he  can  promptly  assign  all  the  ills  which  beasts  are  heir  to.  He  shoujd 
never  mistake  a  disease  or  a  remedy.  If  thepatient  dies,  it  should  invariably  be  in  consequence  of  a 
deviation  from  his  directions  1 
t  Bischofi',  vol.  il. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  227 

"  diseases  of  the  dic^estive  organs,"  &c.  This  mctlK)d  of  classification, 
thoutjh  not  without  its  advantages,  and  lliough  it  would  seem,  at  first  view, 
to  present  an  arrangement  most  convenient  tor  reference,  examination  and 
comparison,  in  the  end,  leads,  1  think,  to  confusion  and  misunderstanding. 


ANATOMY  OF  THE  SHEEP. 

He  who  lireeds  sheep  to  any  considerable  extent,  should  make  himself 
familiar  with  the  anatomical  structure  of  some  of  the  paits  of  the  animal — 
particularly  with  the  arrangement,  size,  natural  appearance,  consistency 
and  contents  of  the  several  viscera ;  to  some  extent  with  the  circulatory 
system;  with  the  alimentary  and  resj)iratory  organs ;  with  the  brain,  and 
the  whole  osseous  structure  of  the  head.  He  should  be  in  the  constant 
habit  of  making  more  or  less  extended  examinaticjns  of  all  these  structures, 
as  op]iortunity  occurs  by  the  slaughter  of  sheep  for  economic  jmrposes; 
and  when  the  animal  dies  from  disease,  such  examination  should  be  in  no 
ordinary  case  omitted  by  the  flock-master  who  is  disiroti.s  of  inahing  Idm- 
sdf  thornuglihj  acquauitvd  irith  kis  hus/fu'ss.  He  will  require  some  instruc- 
tion, in  the  outset,  to  enable  him  to  make  such  dissections  understandingly 
and  properly  ;  but  he  can  readily  obtain  this  from  any  educated  physician 
or  surgeon.  There  are  no  sutticiently  wide  differences  in  the  anatomical 
structure  of  the  sheep  and  of  the  human  being,  to  give  the  surgeon  the 
least  difficulty  in  pointing  out  the  arrangement,  uses,  &c.,  of  the  several 

Earts  of  the  former,  unless  it  be  in  the  conformation  of  the  stomachs. — 
[ere,  the  structure  of  the  sheep,  like  that  of  other  ruminating  animals,  dif- 
fers widely  from  man,  but  that  physician  or  surgeon  must  have  been  singu- 
larly limited  in  his  physiological  investigations,  who  has  not  made  himself 
acquainted  with  it.  At  all  events,  a  glance  at  a  veterinary  work,  while 
conducting  a  dissection,  will  enable  him  to  understand,  and  explain  it  to 
the  leamer.  The  learner  while  making  his  examinations  in  company  with, 
and  under  the  direction  of  the  surgeon,  shouhl  jx" form  every  manipulation  : 
his  own  hand  should  handle,  remove,  test  the  consistency,  &c.  of  the  parts 
— alone  wield  the  saw  and  guide  the  scalpel.  This  is  an  important  rule  if 
he  would  vjidcrstand  and  remnnher. 

The  subjects  of  a  portion  of  the  examinations  should  be  sheep  killed  in 
full  health.  It  is  necessary  to  be  familiar  with  the  healthy  appearance  of 
all  the  parts,  so  as  to  distinctly  recognize  all  departures  from  it — the  effect 
of  any  diseased  or  abnormal  action. 

The  sides  of  a  lean  sheep  are  more  translucent,  after  being  skinned,  than 
those  of  a  fat  one,  and  therefore  the  former  makes  a  better  subject,  if  the 
circulatory  system  is  to  be  examined.  On  the  sides  of  the  thorax  and  ab- 
domen, at  a  little  distance  from  the  spine,  the  veins  and  arteries  of  those 
parts  can  often  be  traced  with  beautiful  distinctness,  without  any  dissection 
of  the  intercostal  muscles. 

Subjects  should  be  examined  which  have  had  their  blood  drawn  (bv  hav- 
ing their  throats  cut),  and  also  those  which  have  died  with  all  their  blood 
in  them.  Some  of  the  viscera — e.  g.  the  lungs,  veins  and  arteries — will 
present  very  different  appearances  under  these  different  circumstances; 
and  this  fact  not  understood  might  frequently  lead  to  very  erroneous  con- 
clusions in  pout  mortem  examinations. 

I  will  give  a  veiy  general  description  of  the  parts  I  have  mentioned  as 
necessary  to  be  studied — designed  merely  for  those  who  have  no  previous 
knowledge  of  the  subject. 

After  the  animal  has  been  neatly  skinned,  place  it  on  a  low  table,  an  as- 
sistant grasping  its  fore-legs,  and   holding  it  firmly  on  its  back.     Then  slit 


228 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


open  the  belly  from  the  midtlle  of  the  sternum,  or  cartilaginous  connection 
between  the  ribs,  to  the  anus.  In  making  this  and  all  similar  incisions, 
hold  the  edge  of  the  knife  upward,  guarding  its  point  with  the  fore-finger, 
so  that  the  viscera  shall  not  be  wounded.  The  abdomen — the  whole  cav- 
ity of  the  trunk  back  of  the  diaphragm  or  "  midriff" — is  now  laid  open. 
It  is  usually  necessary  for  a  better  examination  of  the  parts  to  make  cross 
incisions  part  way  between  the  diaphragm  and  anus,  extending  down  on 
each  side  several  inches  toward  the  backbone, 

I  shall  describe  the  viscera  in  the  order  in  which  I  have  usually  exam- 
ined them. 

On  opening  the  abdomen  the  omentum  or  caul  is  found  covering  the  in- 
testines. It  is  a  thin,  and,  in  a  normal  state,  colorless  and  transparent 
structure,  formed  of  two  membranes,  between  which  extend  streaks  of  fat 
in  the  form  of  a  net. 

The  external  appearance  of  the  stomachs  is  given  in  the  following  cut 
of  those  of  a  young  sheep  which  died  of  disease.  Their  arrangement  is 
slightly  different  in  the  animal. 


Fig.  47. 


THE  STOMACHS. 

a.  The  oesophagus  or  giallet,  entering  the  rumen  or  paunch. 

6.  h.  The  rumen,  or  paunch,  occupying  three-fourths  of  the  abdomen. 

c  The  reticulum,  or  honey-comb — the  2d  stomach. 

d.  The  manipluR,  or  many  folds— the  3d  stomach. 

e.  The  abomasum,  or  4th  stomach. 

/.  The  commencement  of  the  duodenum  or  first  intestine. 

g.  The  place  of  the  pylorus,  a  valve  which  separates  the  contents  of  the  abomasum  and  duodenum. 

The  walls  of  the  rumen  or  paunch  consist  of  four  coats  or  tunics — 1st, 
the  peritoneal  or  outer  coat  ;  2d,  the  muscular  ;  3d,  the  mucous,  covered 
with  papillae,  or  little  protuberances,  from  which  (or  glands  under  which) 
is  secreted  a  peculiar  fluid  to  soften  and  prepare  the  food  for  I'e-mastica- 
tion  ;  and,  4th,  the  inner  or  cuticular  coat,  a  thin,  entirely  insensible  mem- 
brane, which  defends  the  mucous  coat  from  abrasion  or  erosion. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  229 

The  reticulum  or  honey-comb  is  composed  of  the  same  numlier  of  coats, 
fulfiUins;  similar  functions.  But  the  mucous  coat,  in  addition  to  minute 
papilUe,  is  covered  with  elevations  arranged  in  pentagons  and  sexagons 
of  ditlerent  sizes,  somewhat  resembling  a  honey-comb,  except  that  the 
cells  are  larger  and  shallower. 

The  maniplus  has  the  same  four  coats.  Its  floor  is  a  continuation  of 
the  cvsophagean  canal.  From  its  roo/"  depend  many  parallel  folds  of  the 
cuticular  coat — here  thicker  an<l  stronger  than  in  the  other  stomachs — 
reaching  nearly  to  its  floor.  The  cuticle  is  covered  toward  the  edges  of 
the  folds,  with  hard,  bony  processes,  shaped  like  fangs,  or  cones  bent  in  a 
curvelinear  form,  and  pointing  toward  the  entrance  of  the  stomach.  The 
interior  of  each  fold  or  leaf  contains  muscles  which  impart  to  it  the  power 
of  a  peculiar  and  forcible  motion.  There  are  forty-two  of  these  folds  in 
the  maniplus  of  the  sheep — occasionally  forty-eight.  They  do  not  all 
equally  nearly  approach  the  cesophagean  canal,  but  are  disposed  in  groups 
of  six — one  of  the  central  ones  of  each  nearly  reaching  the  canal  or  floor 
of  the  stomach — the  others  on  each  side  growing  shorter  and  shorter,  so 
as  to  form  a  series  of  irregular  reentering  angles. 

The  abomasum  is  the  digesting  stomach,  where  the  gastric  juices  are 
secreted,  and  where  the  pultaceous  food  is  converted  into  chyme.  It  is 
funnel-shaped,  and  its  lower  extremity  connects  with  the  intestines,  as 
shown  in  the  cut.  The  cuticular  lining  of  the  three  preceding  stomachs 
is  wanting  in  this.  The  mucous  coat  is  disposed  in  the  form  of  rug<v  or 
shallow  folds,  arranged  longitudinally  with  the  direction  of  the  stomach, 
and  from  this  membrane  the  gastric  juices  are  secreted. 

The  comparative  size  of  the  four  stomachs  will  be  sufficiently  seen  in 
fig.  47. 

Where  the  oesophagus  enters  the  rumen,  it  terminates  in  what  is  called 
the  cBSophagean  canal,  a  continuation  of  the  former  constituting  the  roof 
of  the  latter.  The  bottom  or  floor  of  this  canal  is  formed  of  divided  por- 
tions or  folds  of  the  upper  parts  of  the  rumen  and  reticulum — muscular 
"pillars"  or  "lips,"  as  they  are  sometimes  denominated — which  may  re- 
main closed  so  that  the  food  will  pass  over  them  into  the  third  and  fourth 
stomachs — or  they  may  open,  permitting  the  food  to  fall  between  them, 
as  through  a  trap-door,  into  the  first  and  second  stomachs.  It  is  probable 
that  the  opening  of  these  lips,  as  food  passes  over  them,  depends  some- 
what upon  a  mechanical  effect,  and  somewhat  upon  the  will  of  the  animal. 
Fluid  and  soft  pultaceous  food  fit  for  immediate  digestion  glide  over  them. 
But  most  of  the  food  of  the  sheep,  like  that  of  other  ruminating  animals, 
is  swallowed  with  little  preparatory  mastication ;  and  these  untriturated 
solids  drop  down  through  the  first  opening  above  described  into  the  ru- 
men. It  is  certain,  however,  that  the  animal  can,  at  will,  also  cause  water 
to  pass  through  the  opening  into  the  first  stomach.  This  would  be  neces- 
sary in  the  animal  economy,  and  the  water  is  always  found  there. 

When  the  food  has  entered  the  rumen,  the  muscular  action  of  that  vis- 
cus  compels  it  to  make  the  circuit  of  its  different  compartments,  and,  in 
time,  the  food  later  swallowed  forces  it  on  and  up  to  near  the  opening 
where  it  originally  entered.  In  its  passage  it  is  macerated  by  a  solvent 
alkaline  fluid  secreted  V)y  the  mucous  coat.  The  papillae  of  that  coat  are 
supposed  to  influence  the  mechanical  act  ion  of  the  contents  of  the  stomach, 
and  perhaps,  to  a  certain  extent,  to  aid  in  triturating  them.  The  food 
performs  the  circuit  of  the  stomach,  and  is  ready  for  re-mastication,  ac- 
cording to  Spallanzani,  in  from  sixteen  to  eighteen  hours.  By  a  muscular 
eff*ort  of  the  stomach,  a  portion  of  it  is  then  thrown  over  the  membraneous 
valve  or  fold  which  guards  the  opening  from  this  into  the  second  stomach. 


230  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

The  reticulum  contracts  upon  it,  forming  it  into  a  suitable  pellet  to  be  re- 
turned to  the  mouth,  and  also  covers  it  with  a  mucus  secreted  in  this 
stomach.  By  a  spasmodic  effort  (always  perceptible  externally  when  the 
sheep  or  cow  commences  rumination)  the  pellet  is  forced  throujjh  the  roof 
of  the  reticulum,  by  the  opening  before  described,  and  returned  to  the 
mouth  by  the  contractions  of  the  spiral  muscle  of  the  oesophagus  or  gullet, 
for  mastication. 

This  explanation  of  the  functions  of  the  second  stomach  is  not  accepted 
by  all  the  physiologists  who  have  examined  this  subject.  Some  contend 
that  all  the  solider  portions  of  the  food  are  returned  directly  from  the  ru- 
men for  re-mastication  ;  that  when  raised  to  the  floor  of  the  oesophagean 
canal,  the  hard  parts  are  carried  up  to  the  mouth — the  more  pultaceous 
ones  (but  still  not  sufficiently  pultaceous  for  the  fourth  stomach)  passing 
into  the  reticulum,  where  they  are  again  macerated — the  fluid  squeezed 
out  of  them  by  a  contraction  of  the  stomach  and  allowed  to  pass  on  to 
the  fourth  stomach — and  then  the  drier  parts  raised,  like  those  from  the 
paunch,  for  re-mastication.  More  solid  and  indigestible  substances  "  may 
be  submitted  two  or  more  times  to  the  process  of  nimination."  Such  ap- 
pear to  be  the  views  of  Mr.  Spooner.* 

According  to  this  theory,  both  stomachs  are  created  substantially  for 
one  and  the  same  purpose,  and  one  would  seem  to  be  unnecessary.  And 
where  would  be  the  use  of  the  opening  from  one  stomach  into  the  other  ? 
And  if  the  second  stomach,  like  the  first,  is  simply  for  the  maceration  and 
return  of  food,  why  the  superior  thickness  and  strength  of  the  coatings  of 
the  former  "?  Being  of  a  volume  gieatly  inferior  to  that  of  the  latter,  it  cer- 
tainly would  require  less  strength,  if  the  functions  of  both  were  the  same. 

The  main  support  for  this,  as  it  seems  to  me,  erroneous  theory,  is  found 
in  the  fact  that  the  contents  of  the  reticulum,  after  death,  are  usually  found 
considerably  more  Jiuid  than  those  of  the  rumen.  I  conceive  that  but 
small  portions  of  solid  food  are  introduced  at  one  time  from  the  rumen 
into  the  reticulum — not  enough  to  give  to  the  liquid  contents  of  the  latter 
viscus  the  consistency  of  those  of  the  former — proceeding  on  the  supposi- 
tion that  the  reticulum  of  the  living  animal  is  filled  with  fluid,  as  usually 
found  after  death.  But  why  may  not  a  portion  of  this  fluid  have  escaped 
by  the  valve — been  decanted,  as  it  were,  from  the  paunch  to  the  reticulum, 
after  death  1  I  see  no  violence  in  this  supposition.  If  this  is  not  so,  the 
urtiforin  fluidity  of  the  contents  of  the  reticulum  would  be,  it  seems  to  me, 
fatal  to  the  theory  based  on  it — for,  according  to  Spooner  and  others  who 
adopt  it,  after  the  reticulum  has  "  become  moderately  full,"  it  contracts  on 
its  contents,  expressing  the  liquid  from  the  solid  parts,  which  said  liquid 
is  forced  into  the  oesophagean  canal,  and  escapes  into  the  fourth  stomach. 
The  solid  parts  would  be  thus  left  comparatively  dry.  Sheep  penned  up  for 
butchery  often  do,  as  every  one  has  observed,  ruminate  until  within  a  few 
seconds  of  the  time  that  all  their  natural  visceral  functions  are  suddenly 
suspended  by  death — and  when,  therefore,  this  suspension  would,  at  times, 
as  a  matter  of  course,  take  place  at  all  the  different  stages  of  rumination  and 
preparation  for  rumination — how  happens  it  that  the  reticulum  is  not  often 
found  with  its  liquid  parts  expressed — containing  nothing  but  the  solids,  just 
prepared  for  re-mastication  %  Or  if  it  be  supposed  that  the  act  of  forcing  out 
the  liquid,  and  forcing  up  the  solids  into  the  oesophagus,  are  coincident  or 
simultaneous,  why  is  not  this  stomach  sometimes  found  entirely  empty  ?  Can 
it  be  supposed  that  this  fluid  (I  have  uviforvily  found  the  fluid  mixed  with 
considerable  quantities  of  the  solid  food)  is  so  instantaneously  re-supplied  1 


*  Spooner,  p.  162-1 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  231 

If  so,  by  w)iat  process  1  I  tliiiik  tluMO  are  oilier  reasons  which  support 
the  view  I  have  taken,  but  1  will  Udt  push  the  discussion,  there  not  heing^, 
Bo  far  as  I  am  aware,  any  questions  to  be  solved  by  it  which  iliructly  and 
practically  atlect  the  interests  or  the  practices  ot"  the  sheep-bn-cdrr. 

Let  us  now  observe  the  course  j)ursued  by  the  food,  and  the  ])rocos8  to 
which  it  is  submitted,  after  rumination.  It  now  glides  orcr  the  trap-doors 
whidi  open  into  tlie  first  and  second  stomachs.  As  it  passes  over  the 
floor  of  the  third,  or  the  maniplus,  the  pendant  leaves  of  this  viscus,  armed 
with  their  beak-like  protuberances,  seize  the  advancing  mass,  and  scjueezing 
out  the  fluid  and  the  more  finely  comminuted  portions  of  the  food  which 
escape  with  it,  commence  triturating  the  bulkier  fibrous  portions  between 
their  folds.  Their  bony  papilhe  give  to  these  folds  something  of  the  me- 
chanical action  of  rasps,  in  grinding  down  the  vegetable  fibre.  The  food 
beiniT  now  reduced  to  an  entirely  pultaceous  state,  passes  into  the  fourth 
stomach,  or  abomasum,  where  it  is  acted  upon  by  the  gastric  juice,  and 
converted  into  chyme.  The  amount  of  food  found  between  the  folds  of 
the  maniplus,  after  death,  depends  upon  the  time  that  has  elapsed  since 
rumination.  It  is  dry  and  hard,  compared  with  the  contents  of  the  other 
stomachs. 

The  entrance  to  the  fourth  stomach — the  cardiac  opening — is  closed 
against  regurgitation  or  vomiting,  by  a  sort  of  valve,  composed  of  a  portion 
of  one  of  the  rugce,  before  alluded  to,  which  line  the  interior  of  this 
stomach.  The  pylorus  is  also  closed  by  a  valve,  which  prevents  a  prema- 
ture passage  of  the  contents  of  the  stomach  into  the  intestines. 

The  intestines  are  exhibited  in  fig.  48,  copied  from  Mr.  Youatt's  work. 

Before  the  duodenum  enters  into  (or  changes  its  name  to)  the  jejunum, 
and  about  18  inches  from  the  pylorus,  it  is  perforated  by  the  biliary  duct — 
ductus  choledockus — which  brings  the  bile  eliminated  by  the  liver,  from  tb.e 
gall-bladder,  and  also  the  fluid  which  is  secreleAhy  \he  pancreas,  or  sweet- 
bread, which  last  is  introduced  into  the  biliary  duct  two  inches  from  its 
entrance  into  the  duodenum,  by  another  duct  or  small  tube.  The  com- 
pound fluid  thus  introduced  into  the  duodenum  exercises  various  important 
offices  in  the  digestive  and  assimilating  processes.  The  bile  is  supposed 
to  aid  in  the  separation  of  the  chyme  into  chyle  and  fecal  matter — or  the 
nutntive  parts  of  the  food  which  are  assimilated  into  blood,  from  the  in- 
nutritious  parts  which  are  discharged  as  excrement.  It  also  prevents  a 
putrid  decomposition  of  the  vegetable  contents  of  the  intestines,  and  serves 
various  other  useful  purposes. 

The  chyle — a  white  albuminous  fluid,  w\l\\  a  composition  differing  but 
little  from  that  of  blood — is  taken  from  the  intestines  by  a  multitude  of 
minute  ducts  called  lacteals,  which  traverse  the  mesentary,  constantly 
uniting  as  they  advance,  so  as  to  form  larger  ducts.  These  enter  the 
mesenteric  glands — small  glandular  bodies  attached  to  the  mesentary — after 
the  passage  of  which  the  chyle  begins  to  change  its  color.  The  lacteals 
still  continue  to  unite  and  enlarp^e,  and  finally  terminate  in  the  thoracic 
duct.  In  this  the  chyle  is  mingled  with  the  lymjih  secreted  from  a  poition 
of  the  lymphatics — another  exceedingly  minute  system  of  absorbent  ducts, 
which  open  on  the  internal  and  external  surfaces  of  the  whole  system. 
From  the  thoracic  duct,  the  chyle  is  conveyed  to  the  heart,  and  enters  into 
the  circulation  as  blood. 


The  Spi.eev. — With  the  appearance  of  the  spleen  or  milt — in  the  sheep 
a  dark,  firm,  spontry  viscus,  attached  to  the  rumen,  and  lyinjr  ""  tbe  left 
side  of  the  belly — all  are  sufficiently  familiar.     Its  uses  and  functions  in 


232 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


the  animal  economy  are  not  well  understood,  and  it  has  in  some  instances 
been  removed  from  the  living  animal  without  the  apparent  derangement 

Fig.  48. 


THE  INTESTINES  AND  MESENTARY. 

1.  TTie  duodenum.  2.  The  jejunum.  3.  The  ileum. 

4.  The  ctBcuni,  b<ing  the  anterior  prolongation  of  the  colon,  or  first  laree  intestine.     The  ileum  opens 

into  this  (on  the  back  side  as  presented  in  the  cut),  about  twelve  Inches  from  its  extremity — the 

opening  being  defended  by  a  valve. 
5   The  large  anterior  portion  of  the  colon,  retaining  its  size  (about  three  times  that  of  the  smaller  intes- 
•tincs)  for  about  two  feet. 

6.6.  The  colon  tending  towmd  the  center. 

7.7.  The  returning  convolutions  of  the  colon. 

8.  The  rectum  or  stiaisht  gut,  communicating  with  the  anus. 
9. 9.  The  mesentery,  or  ihat  portion  of  the  peritoneum  which  retains  the  intestines  in  their  places. 
10.  The  portion  of  the  mesentary  supporting  the  colon,  &c. 
The  united  length  of  these  intestines  is  upward  of  sixty  feet ! 

of  any  function.     Mr.  Youatt  conjectures  that  its  main  office  is  to  supply 
the  coloring  matter  of  the  blood. 

The  Pancreas. — The  pancreas  or  sweet-bread,  with  the  appearance  of 
which  all  who  have  noticed  the  entrails  of  a  sheep,  are  also  familiar,  is  a 
glandular  body  found  on  the  left  side  of  the  belly.  It  has  a  series  of 
ducts  which  unite  into  a  larger  one,  and,  as  before  stated,  this  discharges 
a  transparent,  albuminous,  and  somewhat  acid  fluid  into  the  biliary  duct 
near  the  point  where  it  enters  the  duodenum.  This  fluid  acts  some  un- 
known, but  probably  necessary  part  in  preparing  the  chyme  for  the  ofl^ices 
it  is  to  perform  in  the  animal  economy. 

The  Liver. — The  liver  is  much  larger  in  proportion,  in  the  sheep,  than 
in  the  horse  and  ox ;  and  it  is  twice  the  proportionate  size  of  that  of  Man. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  233 


It  is  situated  mostly  on  tlio  riirlit  side,  botwocn  the  mnnipliis  and  dia- 
phraefm.  It  is  supplied  with  arterial  Mood,  and  receives  the  venous  lilood 
which  is  conveyed  iVom  tlie  intestines,  from  which  it  si-parates  tin;  hile, 
and  conveys  it  to  the  iiall-hlddder.  The  bile  havinj:^  undergone  certain 
changes  in  this  bladder,  is  conveyed,  as  already  stated,  by  the  biJinry  duct, 
to  tlie  duodenum.  The  venous  blood,  after  the  gall  is  separated  from  it, 
is  returned  to  the  lungs,  to  undergo  tlie  process  which  fits  it  again  to  en- 
ter into  the  circulation.  

THE  URINARY  AND  GENERATIVE  ORGANS. 

Though  it  might  seem  the  more  natural  order  to  complete  the  examina- 
tion of  the  circulatory  and  respiratory  organs,  bel'ore  taking  up  those 
named  at  the  hend  of  tliis  paragraph,  I  shall,  adhering  to  my  first  arrange- 
ment to  follow  the  order  which  1  have  uniformly  ]nusued  in  making  dis- 
sections, first  cornjilete  the  description  of  those  of  the  abdominal  cavity. 

The  Kidneys. — The  kidneys  are  two  bean-shaped  glands  firmly  attached 
to  the  roof  of  the  abdomen,  and  usually  imbedded  in  fat.  They  are  sup- 
plied with  blood  by  large  arteries,  and,  having  filtered  out  the  urine  from 
it,  they  discharge  the  latter  through  two  ducts,  termed  ureters,  into  the 
bladder.  The  passage  of  these  ducts  through  the  walls  of  the  latter  is  in 
an  oblique  course,  so  that  it  is  closed  by  pressure  from  within,  and  thus 
the  urine  cannot  return.  

The  Bladder. — The  bladder  joins  the  vrcfhra,  in  the  pelvis,  and  its  pos- 
terior part  is  attached  to  the  floor  of  that  cavity.  The  anterior  part,  where 
the  diameter  is  larger,  floats  free  in  the  abdomen.  A  circular  muscle  or 
sphiricter  closes  the  entrance  into  the  urethra,  to  prevent  the  continuous 
escape  of  the  urine,  and  this  relaxes  when  the  muscular  coat  of  the  bladder 
contracts  for  the  periodical  expulsion  of  that  fluid.  The  urethra  is  but  a 
few  inches  long  in  the  ewe,  and  opens  into  the  vagina.  It  is  much  longer 
in  the  ram,  as  it  extends  the  whole  length  of  the  penis. 

The  Uterus  and  Vagina. — The  vagina  is  several  inches  in  length  and 
opens  into  the  uterus  or  womb  by  a  circular  opening  which  becomes  closed 
after  impregnation.  They  are  situated  between  the  rectum  above,  and  the 
bladder  behjw.  They  are  mostly  within  the  pelvis  in  the  unpregnant  ani- 
mal, but  the  womb  rises  into  tlie  abdomen  when  it  encloses  a  foetus.  The 
womb  is  a  cylindrical  body  with  two  "  horns"  or  branches.  At  the  inteiior 
extremity  of  each  horn  are  protubei'ances,  of  a  red  color,  called  ovaries, 
which  are  supposed  to  contain  the  germs  of  the  ofTspring. 


234  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


LETTER  XV. 

ANATOMY  OF  THE  SHEEP  (Continued)— DISEASES  AND  THEIR  TREATMENT. 

The  Thoracic  Viscera... The  Diaphragm... The  Thorax... The  Heart,  Arteries,  Capillaries,  and  Veins... 
The  Lungs.  ..The  Windpipe.  Larynx  "and  Phiirynx. .  .The  Thj-roid  and  I'aiotid  Glands.  ..The  Head  and 
its  structures.  ..The  Brain  .  .The  Nurves. .  .The  Teeth... The  Lower  Extremities.  ..The  Bitiex  Canal... 
Febnle  diseases — those  of  Europe  which  are  not  common  here.  ..Ophthahuia — popular  remedies — proper 
ti-eatinent...Pneumoni(i— symptoms — Mr.  t^pooner's  prescription  for. .  .Bronchitis -t-ymptoms—tre^itraent 

...Catarrh ordinarily  not    daiiijerous — preventives. .  .Malif;nant   Epizootic   Catarrh — pievalence  in   the 

Northern  States— chiuacter  of  the  disease  has  not  been  understood— prevalence  in  author  s  liock— how 
produced  — symptoms— postmortem  appeuances— character  of  the  disea.se  ascertained— Nosology — 
treatment,  &,c.  ..The  Rot— its  diagno^^is — post-mortem  appearances — description  of  the  Fluke — causes  of 
the  Rot — treatment...  Diarrhea— cause — diagnosis — treatment.  ..Dysentery — cause — diflerence  between 
it  and  liiarrhea— treatment. ..Garget— seat  and  origin  of  the  disease — treatment..  .Nervous  Diseases... 
Apoplexy— unrecognized  cases  of  it — several  cases  detailed— symptoms— treatment.  ..Phrenitis. .  .Tet- 
anus...Epilepsy. ..  Rabies..  .Neither  of  them  common  in  this  country..  .Paralysis — symptoms — treat- 
ment...Colic — symptoms — attributed  to  iniussusception — true  cause— treatment. 

THE  THORACIC  VISCERA. 

Among  these,  for  convenience,  I  will  include  the  diaphragm. 

The  Diaphragm. — The  diaphragm  or  midriff  is  a  muscle  extending  en- 
tirely across  the  inner  cavity  of  the  body,  separating  the  abdomen  from 
the  thorax  or  chest.  Its  structure  is  unique,  and  beautifully  adapted  to  the 
functions  it  has  to  perform.  Its  outer  margin  is  muscular,  giving  it  the  ne- 
cessary power  of  contraction,  while  toward  the  middle  it  changes  into  a 
transparent  tendonous  substance.  Through  this  tendonous  substance  pass 
the  oesophagus,  the  aorta,  and  the  vena  cava. 

If  the  parts  of  the  diaphragm  which  immediately  surround  these  vessels 
had  been  muscular,  every  contraction  of  the  former  in  the  act  of  respira- 
tion, would  have  compressed  the  latter,  and  therefore  interfered  with  the 
passage  of  the  food  to  the  stomach,  and  the  circulation  of  the  blood.  In  a 
state  of  rest  the  diaphragm  is  convex  toward  the  thorax.  When  contz'act- 
ed  and  flattened,  therefore,  it  enlarges  the  cavity  of  the  thorax,  and  air 
rushes  into  the  lungs.  Its  alternate  contractions  and  relaxations  mainly 
produce  the  act  of  respiration  or  breathing. 

The  Thorax. — Without  injuring  the  diaphragm,  divide  the  sternum  and 
brisket  of  the  sheep  longitudinally  through  the  center,  with  a  fine  saw,  and 
on  pulling  the  lower  extremity  of  the  ribs  slightly  apart,  the  thorax  will  be 
disclosed  in  its  natural  arrangement.  It  consists  of  three  cavities,  formed  by 
the  doublings  of  the  pleura,  a  thin  serous  membrane,  which  lines  the  whole 
interior  of  the  chest.  Two  outer  and  larger  cavities  (the  right  one  being 
the  largest),  contain  the  lungs — a  third  and  smaller  one,  lying  between  the 
posterior  portions  of  the  former,  contains  the  heart.  The  oesophagus  pass- 
es through  the  upper  portion  of  the  thorax,  over  the  lungs  and  heart,  and 
between  them  and  the  spine,  to  the  lower  portion  of  the  neck. 

The  Heart,  Arteries,  Capillaries,  and  Veins. — With  the  size  and 
general  appearance  of  the  heart,  all  are  familiar.  Enclosed  in  a  mem- 
braneous sac — the  j^ericardium — it  hangs  suspended  by  its  superior  attach- 
ments to  the  roof  of  the  thorax,  its  lower  extremity  nearly  reaching  to  its 
floor,  and  pointing  toward  the  left  side.  The  heart  has  two  cavities  on 
each  side,  termed  auricles  and  ventricles.     The  chyle  and  venous  blood  are 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  235 


discharged  into  the  right  auricle,  and  thence  into  the  right  ventricle.  By 
the  contraction  of  the  latter,  its  contents  are  forced  through  the  })uImona- 
ry  artery  into  the  lungs.  The  blood  having  been  purified  in  tlie  lungs,  is 
returned  to  the  left  auricle  ;  thence  into  the  left  ventricle  ;  and  it  is  then 
forced  into  the  aorta,  or  large  artery  which  supplies,  by  its  dilicrent 
branches,  all  parts  of  the  system  with  blood.  Each  compartment  of  the 
heart  is  furnisiied  with  appropriate  valves  to  cause  the  blood  to  be  forced 
forward  in  its  regular  course,  by  the  muscular  contractions  of  this  viscus. 
These  contractions  are  the  result  of  an  inherent  and  independent  j)ower. 

The  contractions  of  the  heart  force  the  blood  into  and  along  the  arteries. 
When  this  force  begins  to  be  spent  as  the  distance  from  tlie  heart  in- 
creases, it  receives  aid  from  the  action  of  the  muscular  coat  of  the  arteries 
themselves,  whicii  forces  alotig  the  blood  to  their  uti7i(>.st  extremities. 

The  arteries  continue  to  branch  off  iiittt  more  and  more  mimite  divisions 
as  they  recede  from  the  heart,  until  the  tubes  are  much  less  in  diameter 
than  the  finest  hair.  These,  capillaries  as  they  are  called,  open  by  exceed- 
ingly minute  mouths  in  every  part  of  the  frame,  for  tlie  deposition  of  those 
secretions  from  the  blood  which  maintain  the  vitality  and  healthy  action 
of  the  parts,  supply  the  animal  waste,  &c. 

The  capillaries,  commencing  their  return  toward  the  heart,  constantly 
reunite,  forming  larger  tubes  which  are  called  veins,  which  brino-  back 
such  portions  of  the  blood  carried  out  by  the  arteries,  as  has  not  been  ex- 
pended in  nourishing  the  system.  The  blood  now  deprived  of  its  oxygen, 
and  loaded  with  carbon,  is  unfit  for  farther  circulation  until  re-punfied  in 
the  lungs.  It  is  of  a  darker  color  than  the  arterial  blood.  It  is  no  longer 
urged  on  by  the  contractile  power  of  the  tubes  through  which  it  flows,  but 
by  the  partial  vacuum  formed  in  the  right  auricle  (as  at  each  contraction 
it  forces  its  contents  into  the  right  ventricle,)  and  by  atmospheric 
pressure.  

The  Lungs. — The  lungs  are  bodies  composed  of  separate  minute  air- 
cells,  communicating  with  the  hronclnal  tubes,  or  subdivisions  of  the  wind- 
pipe. They  also  contain  many  arteries,  and  veins.  On  the  delicate  mem- 
braneous walls  of  the  air-cells  the  venous  blood  is  earned  by  innumerable 
tubes  so  thin  as  to  permit  their  contents  to  be  acted  upon  by  the  atmos- 
pheric air  which  fills  the  cells  at  every  inspiration.  Here  the  blood  gives 
off  its  carbon,  and  receives  oxygen  from  the  air,  and  thus  is  prepared  for 
its  return  to  the  heart,  and  to  be  again  sent  through  the  system. 

The  right  lung  is  somewhat  larger  than  the  left,  and  both  fill  their  re- 
spective cavities  when  inflated.  They  are  entirely  free  from  any  attach- 
ment to  the  pleura — the  membrane  which  lines  the  ribs — when  in  their 
natural  state.  When  the  animal  has  been  bled  to  death,  the  lungs  are  of 
a  light  color;  but  if  the  animal  has  died  with  all  its  blood  in  it,  their  color 
resembles  that  of  the  liver.  This  can,  however,  be  readily  distinguished 
from  hepatization — the  result  of  certain  diseases — as  will  be  hereafter 
shown.  

The  Windpipe,  Larynx,  Pharynx,  &c. — The  bronchial  tubes  constant- 
ly uniting  as  they  a})proach  the  anterior  portion  or  root  of  each  lunor,  final- 
ly form  a  single  large  tube,  as  they  make  their  exit  from  each  lobe,  and 
these,  uniting  into  one,  f<»rm  the  windpipe.  This  is  a  well  known  cartila- 
ginous tube  which  passes  out  of  the  chest  between  the  first  two  ribs,  and 
ascends  on  the  front  part  of  the  neck.  It  unites  with  the  larynx,  winch 
continues  the  air  passage  from  the  lunnfs  to  the  mouth.  The  crsophagus 
leaves  the  chest   close  beside  the  windpipe,  and  ascends  the  neck  on  the 


236 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


left  side  of  the  latter.  It  communicates  with  the  pharynx,  which  commu- 
cates  with  the  mouth.  The  food  on  being  swallowed  enters  the  pharynx 
or  food  bag,  which  is  directly  above  the  larynx — so  that  the  food  traverses 
the  entrance  to  the  latter.  It  is  deterred  from  entering  the  windpipe  by 
the  epiglottis,  a  triangular  lid  or  valve  which  projects  upward  from  the 
floor  of  the  passage,  and  which  closes  upon  and  covers  the  glottis,  or  en- 
trance into  the  windpipe,  when  any  substance  more  dense  than  air  comes 
in  contact  with  it  in  its  downward  passage. 

The  Thyroid  and  Parotid  Glands. — The  Thyroid  glands  are  located 
on  each  side  of  the  trachea.  The  parotid  glands  are  situated  immediately 
below  the  ear,  behind  the  angle  of  the  lower  jaw.  There  are  certain 
other  glands  situated  beneath  the  lower  jaw,  not  necessary  here  to  be  re- 
ferred to. 


THE  HEAD  AND  ITS  CONTENTS. 

Fig.  49. 


BONES  OF  THE  HEAD. 


1.  The  nasal  hone. 

2.  Tlie  upper  jaw  bone. 

3.  The  intermaxillary  bone,  which  supports  the 

pad  which  supplies  the  place  of  upper  front 
teeth. 
4.4.  The  frontal  sinus. 

5.  Cavity  or  sinus  of  the  horn,   communicating 

with  the  frontal  sinus.  It  is  here  shown  by 
the  removal  of  a  section  of  the  base  of  the 
horn. 

6.  The  parietal  bone. 

7.  The  frontal  bone. 

8.  Vertical  section  of  the  brain. 


9.  Vertical  section  of  the  cerebellum. 

a.  The  cineritious  portion  of  the  brain. 

b.  The  medullary  portion. 

10.  The  ethmoid  bone. 

11.  Tne  cribriform  or  perforated  plate  of  the  ethmoid 

bone.  "It  separates  the  nasal  cavity  from  the 
brain  ;  it  is  thin  almost  as  a  wafer,  and  pierced 
by  numerous  holes,  through  which  the  olfacto- 
ry  nerve  penetrates,  in  order  to  spread  itself 
over  the  inner  part  of  the  nose." 

12.  The  lower  cell  of  the  ethmoid  bone. 

13.  The  superior  turbinated  bone. 

14.  Tlie  inferior  turbinated  bone. 


17.  The  sphenoid  bone. 

The  above  cut,  copied  from  Youatt,  gives,  with  the  subjoined  explana- 
tions, a  sufficient  description  of  most  of  the  structures  of  the  head.  Some, 
however,  demand  a  little  more  particular  desci-iption. 

The  Brain. — The  brain  of  the  sheep  is  smaller  in  proportion  than  that 
of  Man,  but  is  shaped  so  nearly  like  the  latter,  and  so  closely  resembles 
it  in  it?  general  structure  and  conformation,  that  it  furnishes  the  medical 
student  with  a  good  substitute  for  the  brain  of  the  human  subject !  The 
brain  is  invested  in  a  membrane  called  the  ^/?a  mater.  The  cranium  or 
skull  is  lined  by  the  dura  mater,  and  between  this  and  the  former  there  is 
a  delicate  membrane  called  the  tunica  arachnoides. 

The  Nerves. — Ten  pair  of  nerves  arise  from  the  brain,  and  thirty  pair 
from  the  spinal  cord.  These  supply  the  sense  of  seeing,  hearing,  tasting, 
smelling,  feeling,  &c.  &c. ;  and  a  portion  of  them,  termed  nerves  of  mo- 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


237 


tion,  communicate  that  volition  of  the  brain  to  the  difTerent  parts  of  the 
system,  whirli  produces  motion.  A  ilescription  of  these  various  nerves,  or 
even  an  enumeration  of  them,  would  be  of  no  practical  benefit  in  a  mere 
popular  veterinary  treatise. 

The  Tektii. — The  sheep  has  24  molar  teeth,  and  eight  incisors.  The 
latter  are  confined  to  the  lower  jaw,  b«Miitj  opposed  to  a  firm,  hard,  elastic 
pad  or  cushion  on  the  upper  jaw.  The  incisors  are  go?/ge-shi\\)e(i — /.  e., 
concave  without  and  convex  within — which  enables  the  sheep'to  crop  the 
herbage  closer  to  th^  ground  than  our  other  domestic  ruminant,  the  ox. 

The  lamb  is  born  without  incisor  teeth,  or  it  has  but  two.  In  three  or 
four  weeks,  it  has  eight  small,  shortish  ones,  as  represented  in  fig.  50. — 

Fig.  50.  Fig.  51.  Fig.  52. 


Fig.  53 


Fig.  55. 


When  not  far  from  a  year  old — though  sometimes  not  until  fourteen,  fif- 
teen, or  even  sixteen  months  old — the  two  central  incisors  are  shed,  and 
their  place  is  supplied  by  two  longer  and  broader  teeth,  as  in  fig.  51.  The 
sheep  is  then  termed,  in  this  country,  a  yearling,  or  yearling  past.  Two 
of  the  "  lamb  teeth"  continue  to  bo  annually  shed  and  their  places  supplied 
with  the  permanent  ones  until  the  sheep  becomes  ''full-mouthed."  Fig. 
52  presents  the  teeth  of  a  two-year-old-past — fig.  53  of  a  three-year-old- 
past — fig.  55  of  a  four-year-old-past.  The  four-year-old-past  is,  in  reality, 
nearly  or  quite  five  years  old,  before  it  obtains  its  whole  number  of  fullu- 
grown  permanent  teeth.  The  two-year-old  and  three-year-old  also  about 
reach  their  next  year  before  their  additional  incisors  are  fully  groicn. — 
Hence,  the  English  writers  all  speak  of  two  broad  teeth  (meaning  fully- 
grown  ones)  as  indicating  the  age  of  two  years ;  four  broad  teeth,  three 
years  ;  six  broad  teeth,  four  years  ;  and  eight  broad  teeth,  or  full-mouthed, 
five  years.  I  prefer  the  English  arrangement,  as  more  accurate,  but  the 
other  is  the  common  one  in  the  Northern  and  Eastern  States;  and,  as  it 
is  a  matter  of  little  practical  consequence,  it  will  here  be  adhered  to. 

Fig.  54  gives  an  inside  view  of  the  incisors  of  a  three-year-old-past — an 
outside  view  of  which  is  given  in  fig.  53.  The  two  remaining  lamb  teeth 
are  here  shown,  which  in  the  outside  view  are  concealed  by  the  last  pair 
of  permanent  teeth.  From  their  being  thus  concealed,  the  three  is  often 
mistaken  for  the  four-yeax-old-past,  by  those  who  do  not  count  the  pei-ma- 
nent  teeth. 

At  six  years  old,  the  incisors  begin  to  diminish  in  breadth.  At  seven 
they  have  lost  their  fan-like  shape,  being  equilateial,  long,  and  narrow. — 
At  eight,  they  are  still  narrower;  and  this  year  or  the  next,  reversing  the 
flaring  or  divergent  position  in  which  they  are  shown  in  fig.  55,  they  begin 


238  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

to  point  in  toward  the  two  central  ones.  Their  narrowness  and  inward 
direction  increases  for  a  year  or  two  more,  when  they  beijin  to  drop  out. 
Sheep  fed  on  turnips  or  other  roots,  lose  their  teeth  earlier  than  those 
which  only  receive  grain,  hay,  &c.  in  winter.  At  twelve  years  old,  the  in- 
cisors are  usually  gone  with  the  exception  of  one  or  two  loose  ones.  And 
here  let  me  remark  that  when  the  incisors  are  reduced  to  one  or  two,  they 
should  always  be  twitched  out  with  a  pair  of  nippers.  They  are  useless 
for  the  purpose  for  which  they  were  formed,  and  they  prevent  that  contact 
of  the  lower  gu/ti  with  the  pad  above,  which  is  now  the  only  substitute  for 
teeth  in  cropping  grass.  When  all  the  incisors  are  gone,  the  gums  of  the 
lower  jaw  rapidly  harden,  and  I  have  known  ewes  to  live  for  years,  keep 
in  fair  condition  and  rear  lambs,  without  an  incisor  tooth  in  their  heads  ! 

The  above  remarks  are  more  particularly  applicable  to  the  Merino 
breed.  The  other  breeds,  so  far  as  my  acquaintance  extends,  lose  their 
teeth,  or  become  "  broken-mouthed  "  somewhat  earlier  ;  and  they  dwin- 
dle away  and  die  soon  after  they  begin  to  lose  their  teeth. 


THE  LOWER  EXTREMITIES. 

Thr  Biflex  Canal. — The  lower  extremities  of  the  sheep,  including  the 
legs,  feet,  &c.,  require  no  anatomical  description.  I  will  simply  call  atten- 
tion to  the  biflex  or  interdigital  canal,  the  nature  and  diseases  of  which 
have  been  the  subjects  of  so  many  errors.  It  is  a  small  orifice  opening 
externally  on  the  front  of  each  pastern  immediately  above  the  cleft  be- 
tween the  toes.  It  bifurcates  within,  a  tube  passing  down  on  each  side 
of  the  inner  face  of  the  pastern,  winding  round  and  ending  in  a  cut  cle  sac. 

The  use  of  this  canal  is  a  matter  of  doubt.  Mr.  Spooner  thinks  the  hair 
always  found  in  it  is  "  excreted  from  the  internal  surface,"  and  "  from  the 
smallness  of  the  opening  it  cannot  escape,  or  rather  is  detained  for  a  use- 
ful purpose."     He  continues  : 

"  The  use  of  this  canal,  thus  stuffed  with  hair,  is  self-evident.  We  have  mentioned  the 
great  motion  possessed  by  this  pastern  joint,  which  is  so  great  as  to  threaten  to  chafe  the 
skin  by  the  friction  of  one  side  against  the  other.  It  is  to  prevent  or  ward  off  this  fiiction 
that  these  biflex  canals,  or  rather  hair-stuffed  cushions,  are  provided." 

In  my  judgment,  this  is  a  very  far-fetched  conclusion,  and  Mr.  Youatt's 
is  little  more  satisfactory.  Diseases  originating  in  this  canal  are  some- 
times confounded  with  hoof-ail ;  and  the  canal,  or  a  portion  of  it,  is  often 
dissected,  or  rather  mangled  out  by  ignorant  charlatans  in  pursuit  of  an 
imaginary  tvorm,  which,  they  induce  the  credulous  farmer  to  believe,  ori- 
ginates the  hoof-ail  !  The  hoof-ail  proper  has  nothing  to  do  with,  nor  do 
its  characteristic  lesions  extend  to  this  canal. 


FEBRILE    DISEASES. 

Simple  inflammatory,  malignant  inflammatory,  and  typhus  fevers  often 
devastate  the  flocks  of  Europe ;  but  they  seem  scarcely  to  be  known  in 
the  United  States,  and  are  included  in  no  American  work  on  the  diseases 
of  sheep  which  has  fallen  under  my  eye. 

The  same  remark  applies  to  phrenitis  (inflammation  of  the  brain),  pleu- 
ritis  (inflammation  of  the  membrane  which  lines  the  thorax),  gastritis  (in- 
flammation of  the  stomach),  enteretis  (inflammation  of  the  intestines),  cys- 
titis (inflammation  of  the  bladder),  laryngitis  (inflammation  of  the  larynx), 
and  several  other  inflammatoiy  diseases. 

Ophthalmia. — Ophtb«almia,  or  inflammation  of  the  eye,  is  not  uncommon 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  239 

—M 

in  our  country,  but  is  little  noticed,  as  in  most  cases  it  disnpjioars  in  a  few 
(l;ivs,  or,  at  worst,  is  only  folk)vvetl  liy  cataract.  The  ratjiract  Ix-inir  usu- 
ally contineil  to  one  eye  does  not  ajipreciably  affect  the  vahu;  of  tlu;  ani- 
mal, and  therefore  has  no  influence  on  its  market  price.  As  a  remedy  for  this 
disease,  Mr.  Grove  recommended  blowiuf^  pulverized  red  chalk  into  the 
inflamed  eye  !  Others  s(]uirt  into  it  tobacco  juice,  from  that  ever  ready 
reservoir  of  this  nauseous  fluid,  their  mouths!  I  apprehend  that  all  such 
prescriptions  are  far  worse  than  nothing. 

Conceiving  ir  a  matter  of  humanity  to  do  something,  I  have  in  some  in- 
stances drawn  blood  from  under  the  eye,  bathed  the  eye  in  tepid  water, 
and  occasionally  with  a  weak  solution  of  the  sulphate  of  zinc  combined 
with  tincture  of  opium.  These  applications  diminish  pain  and  accelerate 
the  cure.  

Pneumonia. — Pneumonia,  or  inflammation  of  the  lungs,  is  not  a  com- 
mon disease,  in  the  Northern  States,  but  undoubted  cases  of  it  sometimes 
occur,  after  sheep  have  been  exposed  to  sudden  cold — particularly  when 
recently  shorn.  The  adhesions  occasionally  witnessed  between  the  lungs 
and  pleura  of  slaughtered  sheep,  betray  the  former  existence  of  this  dis- 
ease— though  in  many  instances  it  was  so  slight  as  to  be  mistaken,  in  the 
time  of  it,  for  a  hard  cold.  The  sheep  laboring  under  pneumonia  is  dull, 
ceases  to  ruminate,  neglects  its  food,- drinks  frequently  and  largely,  and  its 
breathing  is  rapid  and  laborious.  The  eye  is  clouded — the  nose  discharges 
a  tenacious,  fetid  matter — the  teeth  are  gi'ound  frequently,  so  that  the 
sound  is  audible  to  some  distance.  The  pulse  is  at  first  bard  and  rapid — 
sometimes  intermittent ;  but  before  death  it  becomes  weak.  During  the 
hight  of  the  fever,  the  flanks  heave  violently.  There  is  a  hard,  painful 
cough  during  the  first  stages  of  the  disease.  This  becomes  weaker,  and 
seems  to  be  accompanied  with  more  pain  as  death  approaches. 

After  death,  the  lungs  are  found  more  or  less  hepatized,  i.  e.  permanently 
condensed,  and  engorged  with  blood,  so  that  their  structure  resembles 
that  of  the  hcpar,  or  liver — ^and  they  have  so  far  lost  their  integrity  that 
they  are  torn  asunder  by  the  slightest  force. 

It  may  be  well  in  this  place  to  remark  that  when  sheep  die  from  any 
cause  with  their  blood  in  them,  the  lungs  have  a  dark  hepatized  appear- 
ance. But  whether  actually  hepatized  or  not,  can  be  readily  decided  by 
compressing  the  windpipe,  so  that  air  cannot  escape  through  it,  and  then 
between  such  compression  and  the  body  of  the  lungs,  in  a  closely  fitting 
orifice,  insert  a  goose-quill  or  other  tube,  and  continue  to  blow  until  the 
lungs  are  inflated  so  far  as  they  can  be.  As  they  inflate,  they  will  become 
lighter  colored,  and  plainly  manifest  their  cellular  structure.  If  any  por- 
tions of  them  cannot  be  inflated,  and  retain  their  dark,  liver-like  consistency 
and  color,  they  exhibit  hepatization — the  result  of  high  inflammatory  ac- 
tion— and  a  state  utterly  incompatible,  in  the  living  animal,  with  the  dis- 
charge of  the  natural  functions  of  the  viscus. 

"With  the  treatment  of  pneumonia,  I  have  but  little  personal  experience. 
In  the  first  or  inflammatory  stages  of  the  disease,  bleeding  and  aperients 
are  clearly  called  for.  Mr.  Spooner  recommends  "  early  and  copious 
bleeding,  repeated,  if  necessary,  in  a  few  hours  .  .  .  this  followed  by  aperi- 
ent medicines,  such  as  2  oz.  of  Epsom  salts,  which  may  be  repeated  in 
smaller  doses  if  the  bowels  are  not  sufficiently  relaxed.  .  .  .  The  following 
sedative  may  also  be  given  with  gruel  twice  a  day  : 

Nitrate  of  potash 1  drachm. 

Digitalis,  powdered 1  gem  pie. 

Tartarized  antimony 1      do. 


240  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

The  few  cases  I  have  seen  have  been  of  a  sub-acute  character,  and  would 
not  bear  treatment  so  decidedly  and  /  think  dangerously  antiphlogistic. 
Mr.  Youatt  remarks  : 

"  Depletion  may  be  of  inestimable  value  durin;^  the  continuance — the  short  continuance — 
of  the  febrile  state ;  but  excitation  like  this  will  soon  be  followed  by  corresponding  ex- 
haustion, and  then  the  bleeding  and  the  purging  would  be  murderous  expedients,  and  geutiaa, 
ginger,  and  the  spirit  of  nitrous  ether  will  afford  the  only  hope  of  cure." 

Bronchitis. — It  would  be  difficult  to  suppose  that  where  sheep  ai'e  sub- 
ject to  j)neumonia  they  would  not  also  be  subject  to  bronchitis — which  is 
an  inflammation  of  the  mucous  membrane  which  lines  the  bronchial  tubes 
— the  air-passes  of  the  lungs.  I  have  seen  no  cases,  however,  which  1 
have  been  able  to  identify  as  bronchitis,  and  have  examined  no  subjects, 
after  death,  which  exhibited  its  characteristic  lesions.  Its  symptoms  are 
those  of  an  ordinary  cold,  but  attended  with  more  fever  and  a  tenderness 
of  the  throat  and  belly  when  pressed  upon. 

Treatment. — Administer  salt  in  doses  from  l^  to  2  oz.,  with  6  or  8  oz. 
of  lime-water,  given  in  some  other  part  of  the  day.  This  is  Mr.  Youatt's 
piescription. 

Catarrh. — Catarrh  is  an  inflammation  of  the  mucous  membrane  which 
lines  the  nasal  passages — and  it  sometimes  extends  to  the  larynx  and  pha- 
rynx. In  the  first  instance — where  the  lining  of  the  nasal  passages  is 
alone  and  not  very  violently  affected — it  is  merely  accompanied  by  an  in- 
creased discharge  of  mucus,  and  is  rarely  attended  with  much  danger.  In 
this  form  it  is  usually  termed  snvjjies,  and  high-bred  English  mutton  sheep, 
in  this  country,  are  apt  to  manifest  more  or  less  of  it,  after  every  sudden 
change  of  weather.  When  the  inflammation  extends  to  the  mucous  lining 
of  the  larynx  and  pharynx,  some  degree  of  fever  usually  supervenes,  ac- 
companied by  cough,  and  some  loss  of  appetite.  At  this  point  the  Eng- 
lish veterinarians  usually  recommend  bleeding  and  purging.  Catarrh  rarely 
attacks  the  American  fine-wooled  sheep  with  sufficient  violence  in  summer, 
to  require  the  exhibitioti  of  remedies.  I  early  found  that  depletion,  in 
catarrli,  in  our  severe  winter  months,  rapidly  produced  that  fatal  prostra- 
tion, from  which  it  is  next  to  impossible  to  recover  the  sheep — entirely  im- 
possible, without  bestowing  an  amount  of  time  and  care  on  it,  costing  far 
more  than  the  price  of  any  ordinaiy  sheep. 

The  hest  course  is  X.o  prevent  the  disease,  by  judicious  precautions.  With 
that  amount  of  attention  which  every  prudent  flock-master  should  bestow 
on  his  sheep,  the  hardy  American  Merino  is  little  subject  to  it.  Grood, 
comfortable,  but  well-ventilated  shelters,  constantly  accessible  to  the  sheep 
in  winter,  with  a  sufficiency  of  food  regularly  administered,  is  usually  a 
sufficient  safeguard  ;  and  after  some  years  of  experience,  during  which  I 
have  tried  a  variety  of  experiments  on  this  disease,  I  resort  to  no  other 
remedies — in  other  words,  I  do  nothing  ^or  those  occasional  cases  of  ordina- 
ry catarrh  which  arise  in  my  flock,  and  they  never  prove  fatal. 

Malignant  Epizootic  Catarrh. — Essentially  differing  from  the  pre- 
ceding in  type  and  virulence  is  an  epidemic,  or,  more  properly  speaking, 
an  epizootic,  malady,  which  as  often  as  once  in  eight  or  ten  years  sweeps 
over  extended  sections  of  the  Northern  States,  destroying  more  sheep  than 
all  the  other  diseases  put  together.  It  usually  makes  its  appearance  in  win- 
ters characterized  by  rapid  and  violent  changes  of  temperature.  The 
Northern  farmers  speak  of  these  as  the  "  bad  winters  "  for  sheep — fre- 
quently without  assigning  any  name  to  the   malady.     Others  term  the  lat- 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  241 


ter  *'  The  Distemper,"  and  others  again  call  it  the  "  Gruh  in  the  Head"  at- 
tributing the  evil  exclusively  to  the  presence  of  these  jmra.siies.  The 
latter,  as  I  shall  hereafter  show,  is  an  entirely  erroneous  iiypothesis. 

The  winter  ot"  184G-7  was  one  of  these  "  had  winters,"  and  the  de- 
struction of  sheep  in  New-York,  and  some  adjoining  States,  was  very  ex- 
tensive. Some  tlock-masters  lost  half,  others  three-quarters,  and  a  few 
Beven-eighths  of  their  Hocks.  One  individual  within  a  few  miles  of  me  lost 
five  liundred  out  of  eight  hundred — another  nine  hundred  out  of  one 
thousand  !  But  these  sercre  losses  fell  mainly  on  the  holders  of  the  deli- 
cate Saxon  sheep,  and  perhaps,  generally,  on  those  possessing  not  the  best 
accommodations,  or  the  greatest  degree  of  energy  and  skill. 

1  lost  about  fifty  sheep  tluring  this  winter,  and  never  having  seen  any  de- 
Bcription  of  the  pathology  of  this  disease,  its  diagnosis,  its  lesions — or,  in 
short,  any  attempt  to  ascertain  its  specific  character  or  pro[)er  classifica- 
tion in  our  ovine  nosology — 1  shall  attempt  to  su})ply  some  of  these  omis- 
sions. Not  dreaming  then  of  a  publication  of  tiiis  kind,  my  notes  were 
only  taken  for  private  reference,  and  were  not  as  full  as  they  should  be  for 
a  veterinary  treatise.  I  jnight  supply  some  of  these  omissions  accurately 
from  recoUection,  but  do  not  consider  it  jiroper  thus  to  tndavger  tlie  accu- 
racy of  records,  which  as  far  as  they  go,  1  think  may  now  be  imj/lttitly  re- 
lied on.  My  post-mortem  examinations  were  made  at  intervals  snatched 
from  other  pressing  engagements.  This  fact,  and  certain  preconceived 
views — which  I  subsequently  found  erroneous — prevented  me  from  making 
those  examinations,  and  more  particularly  the  records  of  them,  as  minute 
and  extended  as  could  be  wished.  1  then  sought  only  to  convince  myself 
of  the  true  nature  and  character  of  tlie  disease. 

In  detailing  the  results  of  my  experience  in  the  premises,  I  conceive  it  a 
duty  to  frankly  state  the  whole  facts.  The  records  oi  mismanagevitnt  and 
error,  are  often  as  useful,  nay,  more  so,  than  those  of  successful  manage- 
ment, and  it  is  a  pitiful  pride  which  prevents  any  man,  who  pretends  to 
communicate  information  to  the  public,  from  giving  that  public  the  bene- 
fit of  his  examples  which  are  to  be  avoided,  as  well  as  those  which  are  to 
he  followed. 

Up  to  February,  my  sheep  remained  apparently  perfectly  sound,  and 
they  were  in  good  flesh.  Each  flock  had  excellent  shelters,  were  fed  re- 
gularly, etc.,  and  although  sheep  were  beginning  to  perish  about  the  coun- 
try, my  uniform  previous  impunity  in  these  "  bad  winters  "  led  me  to  en- 
tertain no  apprehensions  of  the  prevailing  epizootic.  About  the  hrst  of 
February,  my  sheep  went  into  the  charge  of  a  new  man,  hired  upon  the 
highest  recommi'ndations.  A  few  days  after,  1  was  called  away  from  home 
for  a  week.  The  weather  during  my  absence  was,  a  part  of  the  time,  very 
severe.  The  sheep-house  occupied  by  one  flock  containing  one  hundred 
sheep,  was,  with  the  exception  of  two  doors,  as  close  a  room  as  can  be 
made  by  nailing  on  the  wall-boards  vertically  and  without  lapping,  as  is 
common  on  our  Northern  barns.*  One  of  the  doors  was  always  left  open, 
to  permit  the  free  ingress  and  egress  of  the  sheep,  and  fcjr  necessary  ventila- 
tion. A  half  dozen  ewes  which  had  been  untimely  impregnated  by  a 
neighbor's  ram,  were  on  the  point  of  lambing,  and  it  being  safer  to  confine 
the  ewes  in  a  warm  room  over  night,  the  shepherd,  instead  of  removing 
them  to  such  a  room,  confined  the  whole  flock  in  the  sheep-house  every 
night,  and  rendered  it  warm  by  closing  both  doors  !  After  two  or  three 
hours,  the  air  must  have  become  excessively  impure.  On  entering  the 
sheep-house,  on  my  return,  I  was  at  once  struck  with  the  fetid,  highly  of- 
fensive smell.  A  change,  too,  slight  but  omiBOUS,  had  taken  place  iu  the 
*  BoariU  in  these  cuees  shrink  so  u  to  leaTe  slight  craclu  between  them. 

2H 


242  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

appearance  of  a  part  of  the  flock.  They  showed  no  signs  of  violent  coWs,  I 
heard  no  coughing,  sneezing,  or  labored  respiration — and  the  only  indica- 
tion of  catarrh  which  I  noticed,  was  a  nasal  discharge,  by  a  few  sheep. 
But  those  having  this  nasal  discharge,  and  some  others,  looked  dull  and 
drooping  ;  their  eyes  ran  a  little — were  partially  closed,  the  caruncle  and. 
lids  looked  pale — their  movements  were  languid — and  the  shepherd  com- 
plained that  they  did  not  eat  quite  so  well  as  the  others.  The  pulse  was 
nearly  natural — though  1  thought  a  trifle  too  languid. 

Not  knowing  what  the  disease  was — and  fully  believing  that  depletion 
by  bleeding  or  physic  was  not  called  for,  let  the  disease  be  what  it  would- 
1  contented  myself  with  thoroughly  purifying  the  sheep  house — seeingthat 
the  feeding,  etc.,*  was  managed  with  the  greatest  regularity — and  closely 
watching  tlie  farther  symptoms  of  disease  in  the  flock.  In  about  a  week, 
the  above  described  symptoms  were  evidently  aggravated,  and  there  had 
been  a  rapid  emnciation,  accompanied  with  debility,  in  the  sheep  first  at- 
tacked- The  countenance  was  exceeding  dull  and  drooping — the  eye 
kept  more  than  half  closed — the  caruncle,  lids,  &c.  almost  bloodless — a 
gummy  yellow  secretion  below  the  eye — thick  glutinous  mucus  adhering 
in  and  about  the  nostrils — appetite  feeble — pulse  languid — and  the  muscu- 
lar energy  greatly  prostrated.  Nothing  unusual  was  yet  noticed  about 
their  stools  or  urine. 

I  now  had  all  the  diseased  sheep  removed  from  the  flock,  and  placed  in 
rooms  the  temperature  of  which  could  be  easily  regulated. 

I  commenced  giving  slight  tonics  and  stimulants,  such  as  gentian,  gin- 
ger, etc.,  but  apparently  with  no  material  effect.  They  rapidly  grew  weak- 
er, stumbled  and  fell  as  they  walked,  and  soon  became  unable  to  rise.  The 
appetite  grew  feebler — the  mucus  at  the  nose,  in  some  instances,  tinged 
with  dark  grumous  blood — the  respiration  oppressed,  and.  they  died  with- 
in a  day  or  two  after  they  became  unable  to  rise. 

I  proceeded  to  make  some  post-mortem  examinations,  which  I  shall 
here  detail,  although,  as  I  have  before  remarked,  they  are  extremely  im- 
perfect. I  was  at  first  inclined  to  suspect  that  the  primary  disease  was  one 
of  some  of  the  abdominal  or  thoracic  viscera,  and  this  impression  was  con- 
firmed by  the  abnormal  condition  of  these  viscera  in  the  first  subjects  exam- 
ined. I  therefore  improperly  confined  my  attention  to  these,  and  some  of 
the  external  tissues,  without  any  examination  of  the  interior  organs  of  the 
head  and  neck,  i  shall  give  my  notes  verbatim  as  they  were  taken  down 
at  the  time,  whether  the  appearances  detailed  have,  d£>lnow  believe,  any 
connection  with  the  fatal  disease  or  not. 

Case  1st.  Old  sheep.  Much  emaciated — mouth  and  lips  covered  with 
yellow  froth — yellow  waxy  matter  under  eyes — adhesive  mucus  in  and 
about  nostrils.  On  opening,  external  tissues  appear  healthy — two  hyda- 
tids on  omentum  of  the  size  of  a  walnut — gall-bladder  enlarged  and  enor- 
mously distended  with  pale,  and  apparently  not  properly  eliminated  bile 
— gall-bladder  slightly  adhering  to  omentum — mesenteric  glands  enlarged 
— other  abdominal  viscera  believed  to  be  normal — fasces  in  rectum  thought 
to  indicate  a  constipated  habit — stomachs  rather  empty.  Thoracic  viscera 
healthy. 

Case  2d.  Two  years  old.  External  appearances  as  in  Case  1st,  with 
the  exception  of  the  yellow  froth  about  the  mouth.  External  tissues 
healthy.  Gall-bladder  very  small  and  nearly  empty — bile  pale  and  un- 
eliminated — mesenteric  glands  enlarged — schirrous  tumor  at  the  junction 


*  They  had  been  fi'<J  with  bright  bfly  three  times  n  day,  and  turnips.  As  those  affected  as  above  did  not 
eat  iheir  turniii.s  well,  I  comrncMicod  feeding  some  oats,  in  addition  to  the  turnips,  i  believed  thuta  gener- 
ous feed  was  called  tor,  and  1  gave  ic 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  243 


of  the  roecum  mid  colon  of  the  size  of  a  hutfernut.  Superior  1o1h»  of  left 
lung  adluTcnt  to  pleura  costalis — three  lobes  of  rit^ht  hiiiir  ilitto,  with  sli<rht 
traces  of  rccvnt  intlammation.  Hydro-pericarditis — the  pericurdium  slight- 
ly inflamed  and   containing  something  moie  than  a  gill  of  serum. 

Case.  od.  Old,  ami  in  lanil).  Kxternal  rij)pearance3  and  tissues  as  in 
Case  2d.  Omentum  dark-yellowish,  or  yeilowish-hrown  by  deposition  of 
lymph,  the  result  of  iidlammatory  action — gall-bladder  precisely  as  in  Case 
2d — tabes  mesentrica  or  enlargement  of  the  mesenteric  glands,  as  in  the 
preceding  cases.  Middle  lobe  of  right  huig  slightly  hepatized,  and  adher- 
ent to  pleura  costalis — hydro-pericarditis,  (a  gill  of  serum  in  pericar- 
dium.) 

Case  4th.  Yearling  ram.  External  appearances  and  tissues  as  in  pre- 
ceding cases.  Two  small  hydatids  on  omentum — gall-bladder  as  in  two 
precediuij  ciises — mesenteric  glands  as  in  preceding  cases.  Traces  of  diar- 
rhea.    Tlioracic  viscera  healthy. 

Case  5th.  Lamb.  External  appearance  as  in  preceding  cases — omen- 
tum as  in  Case  3d,  and  small  hydatid  on  it — gall-bladder  as  in  three  pre- 
ceding cases — ditto  of  mesenteric  glands.     Thoracic  viscera  healthy. 

Case  tilh.  Four-year-old  ram,  killed  for  examination,  in  the  first  stage 
of  the  disease.  Yet  strong,  appetite  good,  in  fair  condition,  and  exhibited 
no  particular  external  indications  of  disease  except  running  at  the  eves,  a 
slight  gummy  deposition  b<'low  them — and  some  mucus  about  the  nostrils. 
Gall-bladder  but  little  better  filled  than  in  preceding  cases — mesenteric 
glands  same  as  in  preceding  cases.     Thoracic  \nscera  healthy. 

Remarks  on  Preceding  Cases. — I  had  started  on  the  supposition  that 
the  fatal  disease  would  be  found  one  of  the  lungs,  consequent  on  ca- 
tarrh. 1  thought  it  mig^it  prove  a  species  of  pneumonia,  though  some  of 
the  characteristic  symptoms  of  that  disease  seemed  to  be  wanting  ;  but  I 
believed  it  would  rather  prove  to  be  phthisis  pulmonalis,  or  pulmonary 
consumption.  To  the  last  disease,  when  it  assumes  the  form  of  what  is 
popularly  called  "  quick  consumption,"  it  seemed  to  me  to  bear  several 
striking  analogies.  But  the  post-mortem  examinations  above  detailed,  en- 
tirely overthrow  these  suppositions.  Except  in  Case  2d,  there  were  no 
manifestations  o?  recent  inflammation  of  the  lungs.  The  adhesions  in  Case 
3d,  were  evidently  referable  to  a  past  date.  In  the  other  four  cases,  the 
lungs  were  in  a  healthy  condition — exhibiting  not  a  trace  of  hepatization, 
tubercles,  ulcers,  or  other  abnormal  action  !  In  Case  6th,  where  the  dis- 
ease was  in  its  first  observable  and  therefore  inflammatory  stage,  none  of 
the  thoracic  viscera  presented  a  particle  of  inflammation  ! 

Then  what  was  the  disease  1  It  was  evidently  the  same  in  the  several 
cases,  yet  the  lesions  disclosed  by  post-mortem  examination  were  very  va- 
rious. Hence,  1  was  led  to  conclude  that  these  lesions  were  the  results 
of  fVffi/^/o»?'7//c  disease,  and  that  i\\e  primary  one  was  not  yet  discovered. 

The  malady  continued  to  spread.  New  cases  occurred  daily — it  began 
to  exhibit  itself  in  my  other  flocks.  It  had  manifestly  put  on  the  charac- 
ter of  an  epizootic — or,  if  I  may  be  permitted  to  coin  a  word,  an  en-zo- 
otic.  I  now  gave  orders  to  have  every  sheep  removed  from  the  several  flocks, 
as  soon  as  it  should  be  attacked  with  disease.  I  also  resolved  on  more  ex- 
tended post-mortem  examinations.  The  following  are  the  notes  taken  in 
the  immediately  succeeding  cases. 

Case  7th.  Yearling.  External  appearance  as  in  the  preceding  cases — 
exlenial  tissues  normal — mesenteiic  glands  slightly  enlarged — e^dl-blad- 
der  of  natural  size,  with  good  bile,  and  with  the  natural  discolorations 
about  it.  Thoracic  viscera  healthy,  with  exception  of  pericardium,  which 
exhibited   traces   of  recent  inflammation  and  contained  a  gill  of  serum 


244  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

The  thorax  also  contained  considerable  fluid,  which  escaped  without  ad- 
measurement. 

I  now  examined  the  bronchial  tubes,  the  lower  portions  of  the  windpipe, 
oesophagus,  &c.,  and  found  them  all  in  an  apparently  healthy  condition. 
Before  tracing  these  passages  to  the  throat,  I  removed  the  upper  portion 
of  the  skull  and  carefully  examined  the  brain  and  its  investing  mem- 
branes. All  seemed  in  a  perfectly  normal  state.  I  then  made  a  longitu- 
dinal section  down  through  the  middle  part  of  the  whole  head,  as  is  shown 
in  fig.  49,  and  the  seat  and  character  of  the  fatal  malady  stood  at  once 
rerealed  ! 

The  mucous  membrane  lining  the  whole  nasal  cvvity,  highly  congested 
and  thickened  throughout  its  whole  extent,  bcti-ayed  the  most  intense  in- 
flammation. At  the  junction  of  the  cellular  ethmoid  bones  with  the  cribri- 
form plate,  (in  the  ethmoidal  cells,)  slight  ulcers  were  forming  on  the  mem- 
braneous lining  !  The  inflammation  also  extended  to  the  mucous  mem- 
brane of  the  pharynx,  and  say  three  inches  of  the  upper  portion  of  the  cbso- 
phagus.     Here  it  rather  abruptly  terminated. 

Case  8th.  Old,  in  lamb.  External  appearances  as  in  preceding  cases — 
abdominal  parietes  healthy — all  the  viscera  apparently  healthy.  The  in- 
flammation of  the  mucous  membrane  lining  the  nasal  cavity,  pharynx,  and 
upper  portion  of  oesophagus,  as  in  Case  7th,  only  not  quite  so  acute — no 
ulcers  on  the  membrane. 

Cases  5th  and  6th  reviewed.  The  heads  of  these  two  subjects  having 
been  accidentally  preserved,  I  examined  them,  and  found  the  inflammatory 
action  of  the  mucous  membrane  same  as  in  cases  7th  and  8th.  Nor  have  I 
a  particle  of  doubt  that  the  same  would  have  been  found  the  case  in  all 
the  preceding  sulijects,  had  they  been  examined. 

Nosology  and  Treatment. — I  had  little  diflSculty  in  coming  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  the  primary  and  main  disease  was  a  species  of  catarrh.  It  evidently, 
however,  differed  from  ordinary  catarrh  in  its  diagnosis,  and  in  the  extent 
of  the  lesions  accompanying  both  the  primary  and  eymptomatic  dis- 
eases. 

In  no  case,  even  in  the  first  attack,  did  I  notice  anything — the  fever — 
the  accelerated  pulse — the  redness  about  the  eyes  and  nostrils — the  cough- 
ing, etc.,  accompanying  an  ordinary  severe  attack  of  catarrh.  And  it  was 
for  this  reason  that  I  was  misled  as  to  the  seat  of  the  malady.  From  the 
very  outset,  according  to  my  observations,  the  type  of  the  disease  was 
typhoid — sinking — rapidly  tending  to  fatal  prostration. 

How  to  reduce  the  local  inflammation  of  the  membrane  lining  the  nasal 
cavities,  I  was  at  a  loss  to  determine.  I  was  satisfied  that  there  was  too 
much  debility  to  admit  of  an  antiphlogistic  course  of  treatment.  Still,  to 
make  myself  sure,  I  bled  in  three  or  four  cases,  and,  as  I  anticipated,  it 
evidently  accelerated  the  fatal  catastrophe.  Blistering  could  not  be  brought 
near  to  the  seat  of  the  inflammation,  excepting  on  the  nose,  and  independ- 
ent of  the  extreme  difficulty  of  treating  a  blister  on  a  spot  so  constantly 
exposed  to  dirt,  the  rubbing  of  hay,  etc.,  in  winter  feeding,  I  believed  it 
could  have  little  effect,  on  an  account  of  the  thick  nasal  bone  intervening 
between  it  and  any  fortion  of  the  inflamed  membrane.  And,  moreover, 
the  greater  portion  of  the  inflamed  membrane  rested  on  bones  detached, 
except  at  one  extremity,  from  all  connection  with  the  nasal  bone.  1  blew 
Scotch  snuff"  (through  paper  tubes)  up  the  nostrils  of  some  of  the  sheep, 
for  two  objects — l,to  remove,  by  sneezing,  the  mucus,  which  mechanical- 
ly, and  evidently  injuriously,  obstructed  respiration  ;  and  2,  to  produce  a 
new  action,  by  which  an  increased  mucous  secretion  would  be  excited, 
and  thus  the  congested  membrane  relieved.     But,  farther  than  this,  I  re- 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE   SOUTH.  246 

sorted  to  no  local  or  other  treatment  designed  specifically  to  reach  the  local 
infl-immation. 

The  next  step  was  to  fix  on  the  constitutional  ti'eatment.  The  liver  waa 
evidently  in  a  torpid  state.  There  was  a  functional  derangement  in  the 
mesenteric  and  probably  other  ijlands,  and  a  want  ot"  activity  in  the  general 
secretory  system.  What  medicine  would  stimulate  the  liver,  cause  it  to 
secrete  the  proper  quantity  as  well  as  quality  of  bile,  chanp^e  the  morbid 
action  of  the  (glands  and  secretory  system,  ami  restore  activity  and  health 
to  the  vital  functions  {generally'?  In  my  judgment,  nothing  promised  so 
well  as  mercury  ;  and  by  its  well  known  eHect  on  the  entire  secretory  sys- 
tem, it  would  powerfully  tend  to  relieve  the  congested  membranes  of  the 
head.  In  this  opinion  I  was  joined  by  a  learned  and  expeiienced  physi- 
cian, who,  both  as  a  matter  of  taste  and  humanity,  has  given  no  little  at- 
tention to  veterinary  science  and  practice.  The  jnoto-chlorideof  mercuiy 
(calomel)  was  supposed  to  possess  too  much  specific  gravity  to  reach  the 
fourth  stomach,  with  any  certainty,  administered  in  a  liquid  ;  and  if  ad- 
ministered as  a  ball  or  pill,  it  would  be  almost  sure  not  to  reach  that  stom- 
ach.* The  dissolved  bi-chloride  of  mercury  (corrosive  sublimate)  was 
therefore  hit  upo#?.  One  grain  was  dissolved  in  two  ounces  of  water,  and 
one-half  ounce  of  the  water  (or  one-eighth  of  a  grain  of  corrosive  sublimate) 
was  exhibited  in  a  day,  in  two  doses. 

As  constipation  existed  in  most  of  the  cases,  it  was  thought  that  the 
bowels  required  to  be  stimulated  into  action,  and  slightly  evacuated  with 
a  mild  laxative.  Having  noticed  in  similar  cases  of  debility  and  torpor  of 
the  intestinal  canal,  that  purgation  is  often  followed  by  a  serous  diarrhea, 
difficult  to  correct,  and  leading  to  rapid  prostration,  and  there  being  no  in- 
testinal irritation  to  suffer  exacerbation,  I  thought  that  rhubarli — from  its 
well  known  tendency  to  give  tone  to  the  bowels,  and  its  secondary  effect 
as  a  mild  astringent — was  particularly  indicated.  It  was  given  in  a  decoc- 
tion— the  equivalent  of  ten  or  fifteen  grains  at  a  dose — accompanied  with 
the  ordinary  carminative  and  stomachic  adjuvants,  ginger  and  gentian,  in 
infusion. 

To  a  portion  of  the  sheep  I  administered  the  rhubarb  and  its  adjuvants 
alone ;  to  others  I  gave  the  bi-chloride  of  mercury  in  addition  to  the  prece- 
ding. I  employed  these  courses  of  treatment  in  a  number  of  cases,  the 
records  of  all  which  have  been  accidentally  destroyed  with  the  exception 
of  the  following  three. 

Case  9th.  Ram,  three  years  old.  Has  been  drooping  and  weak,  with 
feeble  appetite,  for  some  time — has  been  separated  from  fiock.  Has  eaten 
his  oats  irregularly  for  several  days,  and  refused  turnips,  bran,  etc.,  alto- 
gether— much  emaciated — eyes  partly  closed,  with  a  yellowish  deposit 
below  them — caruncle  and  lids  bloodless — nostrils  impeded  with  adhesive 
yellowish  mucus. 

March  17th.  Weaker  than  before — would  not  rise  to  feed — not  seen  to 
eat  or  ruminate — orait,  when  helped  up,  weak  and  stageering;  eyes  near- 
ly closed — stooled  dry,  hard  faeces — urine  dark  and  reddish.  Exhibited 
rhubarb  wiih  srinfrer  and  gentian  in  criuel — blew  snuff  into  nostrils.  March 
18th,  morning — Weaker;  refused  to  eat  anything.  Exhibited  rhubarb, 
ginger  and  eentian  in  giuel.  Noon — Urine  seeminsfly  bloody  :  breathing 
labored  :  exhibited  coiTosive  sublimate  in  gruel.  Night — Dying.  March 
19th,  morning — Dead. 

Post-mortem  appearances.  Inner  edges  of  both  lobes  of  liver  softened 
about  two   inches  from  horizontal   fissure  :  hypropericarditis  and  hydro- 


•  For  reasoM  whkh  will  be  hereafter  giren  under  the  head  of  "  The  Proper  Way  of  Adinini»tertai« 
Medicinea." 


246  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


thorax — nearly  half  pint  of  serum  in  latter.  Other  viscera  apparently 
normal.  Lining  of  superior  portion  of  oesophagus  and  nasal  cavity  as  in 
Case  8th. 

Case  10th.  Three-year-old  ewe.  Drooping  for  several  days  :  sleepy — 
emaciated  and  w^eak :  cannot  rise  without  help  :  appearances  about  nos- 
trils and  eyes  as  in  Case  9th  :  appetite  considerable-^rumination  not  ob- 
served. March  17th.  Exhibited  ginger  and  gentian  in  gruel  :  blew 
snuff  in  nostrils.  Latter  produced  sneezing  and  a  discharge  of  mucus. 
ISth  :  Morning.  Weaker  and  would  not  eat.  Noon.  A  little  live- 
lier :  ate  hay  and  grain  ;  exhibited  ginger  and  gentian.  Night.  Evac- 
uations thin:  urine  of  a  natural  color.  1 9th.  Morning:  same.  Noon, 
Exhibited  same  remedies  as  before.  The  same  course  was  pursued  for 
three  days  :  the  sheep  appearing  rather  to  gain,  when  one  morning  it  was 
found  dead.     No  post-mortem  examination  made. 

Case  11th.  Old  ewe.  Symptoms  precisely  as  in  Case  10th,  except  an 
occasional  grinding  of  the  teeth.  March  17th.  Treated  exactly  as  in  Case 
9th.  Lived  three  days  and  appeared  to  rally  a  little,  then  brr)ught  forth  a 
lamb  and  died.  Post-mortem  examination.  Abdominal  parietes  healthy 
— gall- bladder  filled  with  pale  bile  :  liver  normal  in  size  but  softened 
throughout  its  entire  extent,  and  pale  :  portions  of  it  paler  and  more  disor- 
ganized than  others  :  no  parasites  in  its  ducts.  Thoracic  viscera  normal. 
Sub-acute  inflammation  of  the  mucous  lining  of  the  nasal  cavity,  and  of  the 
superior  portion  of  the  oesophagus.     Slight  ulcer  in  the  ethmoidal  cells. 

I  made  various  other  post-mortem  examinations.  Some  of  the  viscera 
in  every  case  were  in  a  more  or  less  abnormal  state ;  but  there  was  the 
same  variety  in  the  locality  of  the  diseased  action  as  in  the  preceding 
cases.  But  so  far  as  the  seat  and  character  of  the  catarrhal  affection  was 
concerned,  it  was  imiform  in  every  case.  The  only  diflerence  was  in  in- 
tensity, as  exhibited  by  the  extent  of  the  lesions. 

Not  a  single  sheep  recovered  after  the  emaciation  and  debility  had  pro- 
ceeded to  any  gi"eat  extent  !  One  such  only  lingered  along  until  shearing. 
Its  wool  gradually  dropped  off:  it  seemed  to  rally  a  little  once  or  twice, 
and  then  relapse  ;  and  it  perished  one  night  in  a  rain-storm.  In  the  gen- 
erality of  instances  the  time  from  the  first  obsei'ved  symptoms  until  death, 
varied  from  ten  to  fifteen  days.     A  few  died  in  a  shorter  time. 

In  the  three  cases  last  detailed,  the  disease  had  evidently  proceeded  too 
far  to  be  arrested  by  any  treatment.  I  much  regret  the  loss  of  the  records 
of  the  other  cases,  which  would  throw  farther  light  on  the  subject.  I 
thozight  that  the  treatment  produced  favorable  effects  in  some  instances — 
particularly  when  resorted  to  at  the  commencement  of  the  disease.  At  all 
events,  some  of  the  sheep  recovered  under  the  treatment — particularly  un- 
der that  including  the  exhibition  of  the  bi-chloride  of  mercury — and  very 
few,  if  any,  recovered  without  any  treatment.  Candor  compels  me  to  say, 
however,  that  the  results  of  the  treatment  were  far  from  being  highly  sat- 
isfactory— that  the  cases  of  recovery  were  much  fewer  than  the  deaths.  I 
have  merely  stated  what  I  believe  to  be  the  facts  in  the  premises;  I  do  not 
feel  prepared  to  make  any  recommendations. 

The  epizootic  gradually  abated  toward  spring,  and  my  flock  have  since 
been  in  perfect  health. 

Near  spring,  many  farmers  found  what  seemed  to  them  an  unusual  num- 
ber of  grubs  in  the  head  (frontal  sinuses)  of  the  sheep  which  died  of  the 
prevailing  epizootic,  and  therefore  they  attributed  the  disease  to  this  cause, 
and  this  seems  to  be  the  prevailing  popular  opinion.  In  some  of  the  latest 
cases  in  my  flock,  I  discovered  more  or  less  grubs  ;  and,  in  two  or  three 
instances,  an  unusual  number.     In   other  cases  whore  the  external  symp- 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  247 


tonis  and  the  post-mortem  appcaianree  were  almost  identical,  no  pjubs 
were  to  be  seen.  For  this  reason,  and  others  which  1  shall  assign  when 
treating  of  grub  in  tbo  Iiead,  I  conclude  that  the  popular  opinion  is  erro- 
neous. 

The  Rot. — The  existence  and  prevalence  of  the  Rot  in  the  I'nited 
States  have  been  sufficiently  alluded  to  in  Letter  XIV.  Notwithstanding 
its  comj)arative  rareness  here,  so  far  as  is  known,  at  present,  I  think  it 
expedient  to  give  a  full  description  of  it.  It  may  be  more  prevalent 
hereafter,  or  it  may  be  found  peculiar  to  localities  where  sheep  have  not 
yet  been  introduced.  And  whether  so  or  not,  as  its  existence  will  often 
be  feared  and  suspected  in  diseased  flocks,  it  is  proper  that  the  flock- 
master  always  have  it  in  his  power  to  clearly  identify  this  terrible  des- 
troyer. 

The  diagnosis  of  the  disease  is  thus  given  by  Mr.  Spooner,* 

"  The  first  symptoms  attending  this  disease  are  by  no  means  stronply  marked  ;  there  is 
no  loss  of  condition,  but  mther  apparently  the  contrary  ;  indeed,  slieep  intended  liir  the 
butcher  have  been  purposely  cothed  or  rotted  in  order  to  increase  tlieir  fattening  proj>ertie8 
for  a  few  weeks,  a  practice  which  was  adopted  by  the  celebrated  Bakewell.  A  want  of 
liveliness  and  p;deuess  of  the  memhranes  generally  may  be  considered  as  the  first  symptorna 
of  the  disease,  to  which  may  be  added  a  yellowness  of  the  caruncle  at  the  corner  of  the 
eye.  Dr.  Hanison  observes,  'when  in  warm,  suUiy  or  rainy  weather,  sheep  that  are  grazing 
on  low  and  moist  lands  feed  rapidly,  and  some  of  them  die  suddenly,  there  is  tear  that  they 
have  contracted  the  rot.'  Tliis  suspicion  will  be  farther  increased  if,  a  few  weeks  afterward, 
the  sheep  begin  to  shrink  and  become  Haccid  about  the  loins.  By  pressure  about  the  hips  at 
this  time  a  crackling  is  perceptible  now  or  soon  afterward,  the  countenance  looks  pale,  and 
upon  parting  the  fleece  the  skiu  is  found  to  have  changed  its  vermilion  tint  for  a  pale  red, 
and  the  wool  is  easily  separated  from  the  pelt;  and  as  the  disorder  advances  the  skin  be- 
comes dappled  with  yellow  or  black  spots.  To  these  symptoms  succeed  increasetl  dullness, 
loss  of  condition,  greater  paleness  of  the  mucous  membranes,  the  eyelids  becoming  almost 
white  and  afterward  yellow.  This  yellowness  extends  to  other  parts  of  the  body,  and  a 
watery  fluid-  appears  under  the  skin,  which  becomes  loose  and  flabby,  the  wool  corning  ofl' 
readily.  The  symptoms  of  dropsy  often  extend  over  the  body,  and  sometimes  the  sheeji 
becomes  chockered,  as  it  is  termed — a  large  swelling  forms  under  the  jaw,  which,  from  tlio 
appearances  of  the  fluid  it  contains,  is  in  some  places  called  the  watery  poke.  The  duration 
of  the  disease  is  uncertain ;  the  animal  occasionally  dies  shortly  after  becoming  affected,  but 
more  frequently  it  extends  to  from  three  to  six  months,  the  sheep  gradually  losing  flesh  and 
pinujg  away,  particularly  if,  as  id  frequently  the  case,  an  obstinate  purging  supervenes." 

Mr.  Youatt  thus  describes  the  post-mortem  appearances  :  t 

"  When  a  rotted  sheep  is  examined  after  death,  the  whole  cellular  tissue  is  found  to  be 
infiltrated,  and  a  yellow  serous  fluid  everj'where  follows  the  knife.  The  muscles  are  sott 
and  flabby:  they  have  the  appearance  of  being  macerated.  The  kidneys  are  pale,  flaccid, 
and  infilti-ated.  The  mesenteric  glands  enlarged,  and  engorged  with  yellow  serous  fluid. 
The  belly  is  frequently  tilled  with  water  or  purulent  matter ;  the  jieritoneum  is  everywhere 
thickened,  and  the  bowels  adhere  together  by  means  of  an  unnatural  growth.  The  heart 
is  enlarged  and  softened,  and  the  lungs  are  filled  with  tubereles.  The  pruicii)al  alterations 
of  structure  are  in  the  liver.  It  is  pale,  livid,  and  broken  down  with  the  slightest  pressure  ; 
and  on  being  boiled  it  will  almost  dis.solve  away.  When  the  liver  is  not  pale,  it  is  often 
curiously  spotted.  In  some  cases  it  is  speckled  like  the  back  of  a  toad.  Nevertheless,  some 
parts  of  it  are  hard  and  schirrous  ;  others  are  ulcerated,  and  the  biliary  ducts  are  filled  with 
flukes.  Here  is  the  decided  seat  of  disease,  and  it  is  here  that  the  nature  of  the  malady  is 
to  be  learned.  It  is  inflammation  of  the  liver.  .  .  .  The  liver  attracts  the  principal  atten- 
tion of  the  examiner :  it  displays  the  evident  effects  of  acute  and  destructive  mflamuiation  ; 
and  still  more  plainly  the  ravages  of  the  parasite  with  which  its  ducts  are  crowded.  Hero 
is  plainly  the  original  seat  of  the  disease — the  center  whence  a  destructive  influence  spreads 
on  every  side.  .  .  .  The  Kluke — 'the  Fasciola  of  Liniueiis — the  Didoma  hepatic un  of 
Rhodolphi — the  Planaria  of  Cioese — is  found  in  the  biliary  ducts  of  the  sheep,  the  goat,  tlie 
deer,  the  ox,  the  horse,  the  ass,  the  hog,  the  dog,  the  rabbit,  the  guinea-pig.  and  various 
other  animals,  and  even  in  the  human  being.  It  is  from  throe  quarters  of  an  inch  to  an  inch 
and  a  ({uarter  in  length,  and  from  oue-third  to  half  au  inch  iu  greatest  breadth. 

*  Ppooner,  p.  HPl,  et  supr*. 
t  Youatt,  p.  447,  et  supra. 


248 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


Figs.  56  and  53  represent  this  parasite  of  its  usual  size  and  appearance,  and  its  resem- 
blance to  a  minute  sole,  divested  of  its  fins,  is  very  striking.  The  head  is  of  a  pointed 
form,   round  above  and  flat  beneath ;  and  the  mouth  opens  latei-ally  instead  of  vertically. 


Fig.  56. 


Fig.  57. 


Fig.  58. 


THE    FLDKE. 


There  are  no  bajbs  or  tentaculas,  as  described  by  some  authors.  The  eyes  are  placed  on  the 
most  proniinent  part  of  the  head,  and  are  very  singularly  constructed  (fig.  57).  They  have 
the  bony  ring  of  the  bird.  .  .  .  The  anastomoses  of  the  blood-vessels  which  ramify  over 
the  head  are  plainly  seen  through  a  tolerable  microscope.  The  circulating  and  digestive 
organs  are  also  evident,  and  are  seated  almost  immediately  below  the  head.  The  situation 
of  the  heart  is  seen  in  fig.  56,  and  the  two  main  vessels  evidently  springing  from  it,  and 
extending  through  almost  "the  whole  length  of  the  fluke.  Smaller  blood-vessels,  if  so  they 
may  be  called,  ramify  from  them  on  either  side.  The  convolutions  of  the  bowels  appear  ia 
fig.  59,  and  the  vent,  both  for  the  fieces  and  the  ova,  and  probably  for  the  connection  be- 
tween the  sexes,  is  on  the  under  part,  and  almost  close  to  the  neck 

In  the  belly,  if  so  it  may  be  called,  are  almost  invariably  a  very  great  number  of  oval 
particles,  hundreds  of  which,  taken  together,  are  not  equal  in  bulk  to  a  grain  of  sand.  They 
are  of  a  pale  red  color,  and  are  supposed  to  be  the  spawn  or  eggs  of  the  parasite 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  eggs  aie  frequently  received  in  the  food.  Having  been 
discharged  with  the  dung,  they  remain  on  the  grass  or  damp  spot  on  which  they  may  fall, 
retaining  their  vital  principle  for  an  indefinite  period  of  time.  .  .  .  They  find  not  always,  or 
they  find  not  at  all,  a  proper  nidus  in  the  places  in  which  they  are  deposited ;  but  taken  up 
with  the  food,  escaping  the  perils  of  rumination,  and  threading  every  vessel  and  duct  until 
they  arrive  at  the  biliaiy  canal,  they  burst  from  their  shells,  and  grow,  and  probably  multi- 
ply  

Leeuwenhoek  says  that  he  has  taken  870  flukes  out  of  one  liver,  exclusive  of  those 
that  were  cut  to  pieces  or  destroyed  in  opening  the  various  ducts.  In  other  cases,  and 
where  the  sheep  have  died  of  the  rot,  there  were  not  found  more  than  ten  or  twelve.  .  .  . 

Then,  is  the  fluke  worm  the  cause  or  the  effect  of  rot  ?  To  a  certain  degree  both.  They 
aggravate  the  disease ;  they  perpetuate  a  state  of  iriitability   and   disorganization,   which 

must  necessarily  undermine   the  strength  of  any  animal Notwithstanding  all  thisj 

howevei-,  if  the  fluke  follow  the  analogy  of  other  eutoza  and  parasites,  it  is  the  eflect  and 
not  the  cause  of  rot 

The  rot  in  sheep  is  evidently  connected  with  the  soil  or  state  of  the  pasture.  It  is  con- 
fined to  wet  seasons,  or  to  the  feeding  on  ground  moist  and  marshy  at  all  seasons.  It  has 
reference  to  the  evaporation  of  water,  and  to  the  presence  and  decomposition  of  moist  vege- 
table matter.  It  is  rarely  or  almost  never  seen  on  dry  or  sandy  soils  and  in  dry  seasons  ; 
it  is  rarely  wanting  on  boggy  or  poachy  ground,  except  when  that  ground  is  di-ied  by  the 
heat  of  the  summer's  sun,  or  completely  covered  by  the  winter's  rain.  On  the  same  farm 
there  are  certain  fields  on  which  no  sheep  can  be  turninl  with  impunity.  There  are  others 
that  seldom  or  never  give  the  rot.  The  soil  of  the  first  is  found  to  be  of  a  pervious  naUire, 
on  which  wet  cannot  long  remain — the  second  takes  a  long  time  to  dry,  or  is  rarely  or 
never  so 

Some  seasons  are  far  more  favorable  to  the  development  of  the  rot  than  others,  and  there 
is  no  manner  of  doubt  as  to  the  character  of  those  seasons.  After  a  rainy  summer  or  a 
moist  autumn,  or  during  a  wot  winter,  the  rot  destroys  like  a  pestilence.  A  return  and  a 
coutiuuauce  of  dry  weather  materially  arrests  ita  murderous  progress.     Most  of  the  sheep 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  249 


that  hud  been  alremly  infected  die  ;  but  tlie  number  of  those  Unit  are  lost  soon  I)e^u8  to  b« 
materially  diniinislu'd.  It  \»,  therefore  siiflHiently  plain  that  the  rot  d<'|M'iid8  \i|ion,  or  is 
caused  by,  the  existence  of  moisture.  A  rainy  season  and  a  tenacious  soil  are  Inijlful  or 
inevitable  sources  of  it The  mischief  is  effected  with  almost  incredible  rapidity." 

Mr.  Youatt  here  gives  various  instances  to  prove  that  rot  is  engendered 
in  a  few  hours  and  even  minutes.*     He  farther  says  : 

"  It  is  an  old  observation  that  all  pastun'  that  is  suspected  to  be  unsound,  the  sheep  shoidd 
be  folded  early  in  the  evening,  before  the  first  dews  begin  to  full,  aud  should  not  be  released 
from  the  fold  until  the  dew  is  partly  eva]Mirate«l 

Then  the  nuale  of  prevention — that  with  which  the  farmer  will  have  most  to  do,  for  the 
■heep  having  become  once  tic<'ide»lly  rotten,  neither  medicine  nor  management  will  have 
much  power  in  arresting  the  evil — consists  in  alteiinp  llie  character  of  as  niucli  of  the  dan- 
gert)us   ground   as   he   can,   and   keeping   his  sheep   ti'oni  those  pastures  which  defy  all  his 

attempts  to  improve  them if  all  unneces.sary  moisture  is  removed  fiom  the  soil,  or 

if  the  access  of  air  is  cut  olf  by  the  Hooding  of  the  pasture,  uo  poisonous  gas  has  existence, 
and  the  sheep  continue  sound 

The  account  of  the  treatment  of  rot  must,  to  a  considerable  extent,  be  very  unsatis- 
&ctory.  " 

Mr,  Youatt  proceeds  to  recommend  the  sale  of  sheep  to  tlie  ImtrJia 
when  they  are  found  to  he  rotted  !  Kot  ha.stens  for  a  short  period  the 
accutnnlation  of  fat.  Eukewell — a  man  whose  name  is  associated  with 
the  exhihition  of  prodigious  abihties  in  the  improvement  of  stock,  but,  in 
my  mind,  tarnished  also  by  an  equal  exhibition  of  selfishness  and  absolute 
meanness — displayed  a  characteristic  sagacity  in  purposely  rotting  his 
sheep  to  avail  himself  of  the  above  circumstance  !  t  It  is  with  pain  ( 
make  the  following  quotation  from  Youatt — the  only  thing  of  such  a  char- 
acter I  remember  to  have  noticed  in  his  voluminous  works  : 

"  It  is  one  of  the  characters  of  the  rot  to  hasten,  and  that  to  a  strange  degree,  the  accu- 
mulation of  flesh  and  fat.  Let  not  the  farmer,  however,  push  this  experiment  too  far.  Let 
him  carefully  overlook  ever>-  sheep  daily,  and  dispose  of  those  which  cease  to  make  pro- 
gress, or  which  seem  beginning  to  retrograde.  It  has  already  been  stated  that  the  meat  of 
the  rotted  sheep,  in  the  early  stage  of  the  disease,  is  not  like  that  of  the  souiid  one;  it  is 
pale  and  not  so  finn  ;  but  it  is  not  unwholesome  (!)  and  it  is  coveted  by  certain  epicures, 
vho,  perhaps,  are  not  altogether  aware  of  the  real  state  of  the  animal  (.'!)  All  this  is 
matter  of  calculation,  and  must  be  left  to  the  owner  of  the  sheeji;  except  that,  if  the  breed 
is  not  of  very  considerable  value,  and  the  disease  has  not  proceeded  to  emaciation  or  other 
fearful  symptoms,  the  first  loss  will  probably  be  the  least;  and  if  the  owner  can  get  any- 
thing like  a  tolerable  price  for  them,  the  sooner  they  are  sent  to  the  butcher,  or  consumed 
at  home,  the  better.  Supposing,  however,  that  their  a]>pearance  is  beginning  to  tell  tales 
about  them,  and  they  are  too  far  gone  to  be  disposed  of  in  the  market  or  consumed  at  home, 
are  they  to  be  abandoned  to  their  late  ?     No  :  far  from  it.  " 

Conceding  to  Mr.  Youatt  the  whole  benefit  of  that  saving  clause  about 
*'  consumption  at  home,"  the  above  sentence  is  one  which  I  could  well 
wish  stricken  from  his  valuable  work.  Ihe  sale  of  the  meat  of  diseased 
animals,  for  human  consumption,  is  abhorrent  to  decency  and  propriety, 
and  there  is  not  a  respectable  American  family  which  would  not  revolt  at 
the  idea  of  either  selling  or  consuming  such  meat. 

Of  the  treatment  of  rot,  Mr.  Youatt  continues  : 

"  If  it  is  suited  to  the  convenience  of  the  farmer,  and  such  ground  were  at  all  within  his 
reach,  the  sheep  should  be  sent  to  a  salt-marsh  in  preference  to  the  best  pasture  on  the  best 
farm.  There  it  will  feed  on  the  salt  incrusted  on  the  herbage,  and  pervading  the  pores  of 
every  blade  of  grass.  A  lieMlthy  ."wilt-marsh  permits  not  the  sheep  to  become  rotten  which 
graze  upon  it ;  and  if  the  disea.se  is  not  consi<lerablv  advanced,  it  cures  those  which  are  sent 
u|Kin  it  with  the  rot.  .  .  .  Are  there  anv  indications  of  fever — heated  nuiilth.  heaving 
flanks,  or  failing  appetite  ?  Is  the  general  inflammation  begiiuiing  to  have  a  determination 
to  that  part  ou  which  the  disease  usually  expends  its  chielisst  virulence  .'     Is  there  yellow- 


VouBtt  p.  45.T 


*  VouBtt  p.  45.1. 

t  So  say  both  Spooner  and  Youatt.  _  _ 

<S  1 


250  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

ness  of  the  lips  and  of  the  month,  of  the  eyes,  and  of  the  skin  ?  At  the  same  time,  are 
there  no  intlications  of  weakness  and  decay  ?  Nothing  to  show  that  the  constitution  is 
latally  undermined  ?  Bleed — abstract,  according  to  the  circnnistances  of  the  case,  eight, 
ten,  or  twelve  onnces  of  blood.  Tliere  is  no  disease  of  an  intiammatory  character  at  its 
commencement  which  is  not  benefited  by  early  bleeding.  To  this  let  a  dose  of  physic 
succeed — two  or  thi'ee  ounces  of  Epsom  salts,  admuiistered  in  the  cautious  manner  so  fre- 
quently recommended  ;  and  to  these  means  let  a  change  of  diet  be  immediately  added — 
good  hay  in  the  field,  and  hay,  straw,  or  chaff,  in  the  straw-yard. 

The  physic  having  operated,  or  an  additional  dose,  perchance,  having  been  administered 
in  order  to  quicken  tiie  action  of  the  first,   the  farmiir  will  look  out  for  farther  means  and 

appliances Two  or  three  grains  of  calomel  may  be  given  daily,  but  mixed  with 

half  the  quantity  of  opinm.  in  order  to  secure  its  beneficial,  and  ward  off  its  injurious  effects 
on  the  ruminant.     To  tliis  should  be  added — a  simple  and  cheap  medicine,  but  that  which 

is  the  sheet-anchor  of  the  practitioner  here — common  salt In  tiie  first  place,  it  is  a 

purgative  inferior  to  few,  when  given  in  a  full  duse ;  and  it  is  a  tonic  as  well  as  a  purgative. 
....  A  mild  tonic,  as  well  as  an  aperient,  is  plainly  indicated  soon  after  the  comuiencemeut 
of  rot.  The  doses  should  be  from  two  to  three  drachms,  repeated  morning  and  night.  When 
tlie  inflammatory  stage  is  clearly  passed,  stronger  tonics  may  be  added  to  the  salt,  and  there 
are  none  superior  to  the  gentian  and  ginger  roots;  from  one  to  two  drachms  of  each,  finely 
powdered,  may  be  added  tu  each  dose  of  the  salt The  sheep  having  a  little  recov- 
ered from  the  disease,  should  still  continue  on  the  best  and  driest  pasture  on  the  farm,  and 
should  always  liave  salt  within  their  reach The  rot  is  not  infectious." 

Di.\RRHEA. — This  disease  is  often  more  properly  a  nervous  than  a  fehriU 
one — in  the  former  case,  a  morbid  increase  of  the  peristaltic  motion  of  the 
bowels — in  the  latter,  an  inflammation  of  the  mucous  coat  of  the  smallei 
intestines.  But  for  the  purpose  of  viewintr  it  in  connection  with  dysen- 
tery, to  which  it  is  sometimes  closely  allied,  and  into  which  it  often  runs 
— and  which  is  clearly  a  febrile  disease — it  will  be  described  here. 

Common  diarrhea,  purging,  or  scours,  manifests  itself  simply  by  the 
copiousness  and  fluidity  of  the  alvine  evacuations.  It  is  brought  on  by  a 
sudden  change  from  dry  feed  to  green,  or  by  the  introduction  of  im- 
proper substances  into  the  stomach.  It  is  important  to  clearly  distinguish 
this  disease  from  dysentery.  In  dianhea  there  is  no  apparent  general 
fever ;  the  appetite  remains  good ;  the  stools  are  thin  and  watery,  but 
unaccompanied  with  slime  (mucus)  and  blood  ;  the  odor  of  the  fteces  is 
far  less  offensive  than  in  dysentery  ;  the  geiieral  condition  of  the  animal  is 
but  little  changed. 

Treatment. — Confinement  to  dry  food  for  a  day  or  two,  and  a  gradual  re- 
turn to  it,  oftentimes  suflSce.  I  have  rarely  administered  anything  to  grown 
sheep,  and  never  have  lost  one  from  this  disease.  To  lambs,  especially  if 
attacked  in  the  fall,  the  disease  is  more  serious.  If  the  purging  is  severe, 
and  especially  if  any  mucus  is  observed  with  the  faeces,  the  feculent  mat- 
ter should  be  removed  from  the  bowels  by  a  gentle  cathartic — as  half  a 
drachm  of  rhubarb,  or  an  ounce  of  linseed-oil,  or  half  an  ounce  of  Epsom 
Baits  to  a  lamb.  This  should  always  be  followed  by  an  astringent,  and  in 
nine  cases  out  of  ten,  the  latter  will  serve  in  the  first  instance.  I  gener- 
ally administer,  say,  \  oz.  of  prepared  chalk  in  half  a  pint  of  tepid  milk, 
once  a  day  for  two  or  three  days,  at  the  end  of  which,  and  fiequently  after 
the  first  dose,  the  purging  will   have  ordinarily  abated  or  entirely  ceased. 

The  following  is  the  formula  of  the  English  "  sheep's  cordial  "  usually 
prescribed  in  cases  of  diarrhea  by  the  English  veterinarians,  and  there  can 
be  no  doubt  it  is  a  safe  and  excellent  remedy — better  probably  than  sim- 
ple chalk  and  milk,  in  severe  cases  :  Take  of  prepared  chalk  one  ounce, 
powdered  catechu  half  an  ounce,  powdereJ  ginger  two  drachms,  and  pow- 
dered opium  half  a  drachm  ;  mix  them  with  half  a  pint  of  peppermint  wa- 
ter— give  two  or  three  table-spoonsfuU  morning  and  night  to  a  grown 
fiheep,  and  half  that  quantity  to  a  lamb. 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  251 

Dtskntery. — Dysentery  is  caused  by  an  inflammation  of  the  mucous  oi 
iiuier  coat  of  the  larger  iiitestijies,  causing  a  preternatural  increase  in  their 
secretions,  and  a  morbid  alteration  in  the  character  of  those  secretions.  It 
is  frequently  consequent  on  that  form  of  diarrhea  which  is  caused  by  an 
inflammation  of  the  mucous  coat  of  the  smaller  intestines.  The  inflnm- 
m:ilion  extends  throughout  the  whole  alimentary  canal,  increases  in  viru- 
lence, and  it  becomes  dysentery — a  disease  fre(|uently  dangerous  and  ob- 
stinate in  its  character,  but  fortunately  not  common  among  sheej)  in  thi.s 
part  of  the  United  Slates.  Its  diagnosis  differs  from  that  of  diarrhea  in 
several  ?-eadily  observed  particulars.  There  is  evident  fever  ;  the  a])pe- 
tite  is  capricious,  ordinarily  very  feeble  ;  the  stools  are  as  thin  or  even  thin- 
ner than  in  diarrhea,  but  much  more  adhesive  in  consecjuence  of  the  pres- 
ence of  large  (juantities  of  mucus.  As  the  erosion  of  the  intestines  ad- 
vances, the  fieces  are  tinged  with  blood  ;  their  odor  is  intolerably  (tflensive  ; 
and  the  animal  rapidly  wastes  away.  The  course  of  the  disease  e-vtends 
from  a  few  days  to  several  weeks. 

Treatment. — I  have  seen  but  a  few  well-defined  cases  of  dysentery, 
and  in  the  half-dozen  instances  which  have  occurred  in  my  own  flock, 
I  have  usually  administered  a  couple  of  purges  of  linseed-oil,  followed  by 
chalk  and  milk  as  in  diarrhea  (only  doubling  the  dose  of  chalk),  and  a  few 
drops  of  laudanum,  say  twenty  or  thirty — with  ginger  and  gentian.  Ac- 
cording to  my  recollection,  about  one-rhird  of  the  cases  have  proved  fatal, 
but  they  have  usually  been  old  and  feeble  sheep. 

Farther  inquiry  satisfies  me  that  moderate  bleeding  should  be  resorted 
to  in  the  first  or  inflammatory  stage  of  the  disease,  or  whenever  decided 
febrile  symptoms  are  found  to  be  present. 

Mr.  Youalt  presciibes  bleeding,  cathartics,  mashes,  gruel,  (Sec.  He 
says  : 

"  Two  doses  of  physic  having  been  administered,  the  practitioner  will  probably  have  re- 
course to  astringents.  The  sheep's  cordial  will  probiiMy  supply  him  with  the  best;  and  to 
this,  tonics  may  soon  bejrin  to  be  added — an  additional  quantity  of  ginger  may  enter  into  the 
com[)osition  of  the  cordial,  and  gentian  powder  will  be  a  useful  auxiliary.  With  this — as 
an  excellent  stimulus  to  cause  the  s[iliincter  of  the  anus  to  coutiact.  and  also  the  mouths  of 
the  inuumemble  secretory  and  exhaleni  vessels  whicli  open  on  tlie  inner  surface  of  the  in- 
testine— a  half  grain  of  strychnine  may  be  combined Smaller  doses  should  be  given 

for  three  or  four  days." 

Garget — Ts  an  inflammation  of  the  udder,  with  or  without  gene- 
ral inflammation.  Where  simply  an  inflammation  of  the  udder,  it  is  usual- 
ly caused  by  a  too  great  accumulation  of  milk  in  the  latter  prior  to  lamb- 
ing, or  in  consequence  of  the  death  of  the  lamb.  It  is  not  the  serious  mala- 
dy, here,  described  by  the  English  veterinarians. 

Treatment. — Drawing  the  milk  partly  from  the  bag  so  that  the  hungry 
lamb  will  butt  and  work  at  it  an  unusual  time  in  pursuit  of  its  food,  and 
bathing  it  a  few  times  in  cold*  water,  usually  suffices.  If  the  lamb  is  dead, 
the  milk  should  be  drawn  a  few  times,  at  increasing  intervals,  washing  the 
udder  tor  some  time  in  cold  water  at  each  milking.  In  cases  of  obdurate 
induration,  the  udder  should  be  anointed  with  iodine  ointment.  If  there 
is  general  fever  in  the  system,  an  ounce  of  Epsom  salts  may  be  given. 

NERVOUS  DISEASES. 

Apoplexy. — Soon  after  the  sheep  are  turned  to  grass  in  the  spring,  one  of 
the  best  conditioned  sheep  in  the  flock  is  sometimes  suddenly  found  dead. 

*  The  Eoglioh  Teterinarians  rccoaunended  warm  fomentations. 


252  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE   SOUTH. 

The  symptoms  which  precede  the  catasti"ophe  are  occasionally  noted. 
The  sheep  leaps  frantically  into  the  air  two  or  three  times,  dashes  itself 
on  the  ground  and  suddenly  rises,  and  dies  in  a  few  moments.  Such 
cases  occur  but  now  and  then,  and  none  have  ever  occurred  in  my  flock 
to  my  knowledg^e.  I  have  therefore  had  no  opportunity  of  observing  the 
diagnosis,  or  making  dissections.  There  can  be  little  doubt,  however, 
that  the  disease  is  apoplexy. 

Desirous  to  raise  the  condition  of  a  poorish  flock  (the  poorest  sheep 
culled  from  my  other  flocks)  somewhat  too  rapidly,  perhaps,  some  winters 
since,  in  addition  to  good  hay  three  times  a  day,  I  ordered  them  fed  a  gill 
of  oats  pel'  head  ;  and  as  rapidly  as  it  could  be  done  without  bringing  on 
scours,  I  had  them  fed  a  liberal  allowance  of  Swedish  tuniips — about  as 
much  as  they  would  eat  up  clean.  They  gained  perceptibly.  One  day  a 
sheep  was  reported  to  me  as  having  become  suddenly  blind  and  motion- 
less. I  immediately  examined  it.  It  was  in  good  fair  condition.  It  stood 
with  its  head  a  little  down — its  eyes  were  glassy  and  staring — it  was  stone 
blind  !  The  evening  before  nothing  unusual  had  been  perceived  about  it. 
I  bled  it  at  the  inner  angle  of  each  eye,  and  the  blood  had  scarcely  started 
before  its  siglit  began  to  return.  In  less  than  a  minute  it  walked  off 
among  its  companions.  It  had  no  relapse.  Another  case  was  soon  re- 
ported;  I  treated  it  in  the  same  way,  and  with  the  same  apparent  effect. 
The  symptoms  soon  returned,  however,  and  I  bled  again.  This  appeared 
to  produce  but  a  partial  restoration  of  the  sight.  The  sheep  would  not 
follow  its  companions  into  and  out  of  the  sheep-house.  When  approach- 
ed, it  would  run  about  knocking  its  head  against  fences,  &c.  It  lost  con- 
dition, finally  became  unable  to  rise,  and  died.  Another  one,  after  being 
bled,  fed  regularly,  but  its  sight  was  never  restored.  It  lived  along  thus 
for  three  or  four  weeks,  and  then  fell  into  a  hole  containing  water,  and 
pei'ished.  Another  apparently  recovered,  all  but  sight,  and  continued  in 
my  flock  for  more  than  a  year  afterward.  The  eye  was  bright  and  clear, 
as  in  gtUta  serena,  and  the  blindness  would  not  be  suspected,  unless  the 
sheep  was  cornered  up.  Then,  if  the  catchers  remained  momentarily 
still,  it  would  as  soon  run  into  their  aiTns  or  against  the  fence,  as  in  any 
other  direction.  Perhaps  fifteen  cases  occurred.  In  three  or  four  instan- 
ces the  hlind  sheep,  when  they  moved,  constantly  traveled  round  in  a 
circle.  In  about  as  many  cases,  they  twisted  themselves  about  without 
progressing,  the  head  was  drawn  round  toward  one  side,  they  fell,  ground 
their  teeth,  and  their  mouths  were  covered  with  a  frothy  mucus.  In 
neither  of  the  latter  description  of  cases  did  bleeding  at  the  inner  angles 
of  the  eyes  afford  anything  more  than  temporary  relief.  They  all  proved 
fatal. 

At  the  time  these  things  occurred,  I  regret  to  say  that  I  had  paid  but 
very  little  attention  to  veterinary  science,  and  had  never  made  a  dissec- 
tion. I  did  nothing  but  bleed  at  the  inner  angles  of  the  eyes,  and  made 
no  post-mortem  examinations. 

Taking  into  consideration  the  feed  and  the  symptoms,  there  can  be  but 
little  doubt,  I  think,  that  all  these  cases  were  referable  to  a  detenn'niation 
of  hlood  to  the  hrain.  The  sheep  were  not  fat,  but  the  secretions  of 
blood  were  rapidly  and  powerfully  increased  by  rich  and  abundant  food. 

Treatment. — If  the  eyes  are  prominent  and  fixed,  the  membranes  of  the 
mouth  and  nose  highly  florid,  the  nostrils  highly  dilated,  and  the  respira- 
tion labored  and  stertorous,  the  veins  of  the  head  turgid,  the  pulse  strong 
and  rather  slow,  and  these  symptoms  attended  by  a  partial  or  entire  loss 
of  sight  and  hearing,  it  is  one  of  those  decided  cases  of  apoplexy  which 
require  immediate  and  decided  treatment.     As  the  good  effects  of  vene- 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  253 


section,  in  all  casrs.and  especially  in  tlii.s.dfpoiul  not  cmly  npini  tlio  amount 
of  hlood  ai>.siractt>(l,  but  also  upon  tlie  rapidity  with  which  it  is  drawn 
from  the  veins,  the  eye-veins  are  not  the  piojier  ones  to  open.  They  are 
eo  small  that  the  blood  flows  slowly,  and  if  cut  directly  across,  as  is  usually 
done,  they  soon  contract,  and  the  How  of  blood  is  arrested  before  a  sufii- 
cient  quantity  has  been  abstracted.  It  is  better  to  have  recourse  at  once 
to  the  juijular  vein.  The  animal  should  be  bled  until  an  obvious  constitu 
tional  eflect  is  produced — the  pulse  lowered  and  the  ngidity  of  the  muscles 
relaxed.  An  aperient  should  at  once  follow  bleediiifj,  and  if  the  animal  is 
strong  and  plethoric,  a  sheep  of  the  size  of  the  Merino  would  require  at 
least  two  ounces  of  Epsom  salts,  and  one  of  the  large  mutton  sheep  more. 
If  this  should  fail  to  open  the  bowels,  half  an  ounce  of  the  salts  should  be 
be  given,  say,  twice  a  day. 

In  the  milder  cases  which  I  have  mentioned  as  occuning  in  my  own 
flock,  I  think  had  I  bled  more  thoroughly,  in  the  very  first  attack,  and 
given  a  mild  aperient  of  Epsom  salts,  most  of  the  sheep  would  have  re- 
covered. 

Phrf.nitis,  Tetanus,  Epilepsy,  Pai.sy,  Raries. — I  never  have  seen  a 
well-defined  case  of  either  of  tln^se  maladies  among  our  sheep,  thouo^h, 
in  a  few  instances,  something  which  struck  me  at  the  time  as  somewhat 
analogous  to  paralysis  or  palsy.  Palsy  is  a  diminution  or  entire  loss  of 
the  powers  of  motion  in  some  part  of  the  body.  I  have  occasionally 
seen,  in  the  winter,  poor  lambs,  or  poor  pregnant  ewes,  or  poor  feeble 
ewes  immediately  after  yeaning  in  tlie  spring,  lose  the  power  of  walkin"' 
or  standing  rather  too  suddenly  to  have  it  satisfactorily  referable  to  in- 
creasing debility.  The  animal  seems  to  have  lost  all  strength  in  its  loins, 
and  the  hind-quarters  are  powerless.  It  makes  ineffectual  attempts  to 
rise,  and  cannot  stand  if  placed  upon  its  feet. 

Treatment. —  Warmth,  gentle  stimulants,  and  good  nursing,  might  raise 
the  patient,  but  in  nineteen  case.s  out  of  twenty  it  would  be  more  econo- 
mical and  equally  humane,  to  at  once  deprive  it  of  life. 

Colic. — Sheep  are  occasionally  seen,  particularly  in  tlie  winter,  Ivino- 
cJown  and  rising  every  moment  or  two,  and  constantly  stretching  their  fore 
and  hind  legs  so  far  apart  that  their  bellies  almost  touch  the  ground. 
They  appear  to  be  in  much  pain,  refuse  all  food,  and  not  unfrequently 
die,  unless  relieved.  This  disease  is  popularly  known  as  the  "  stretches,^* 
and  is  en'oneously  attributed  to  introsusception  of  an  intestine.  Some 
farmers  worry  the  sheep  with  a  dog,  and  others  hold  it  up  by  the  hind 
legs,  to  effect  a  cure  !  I  consider  it  a  sort  of  flatulent  colic  induced  by 
costiveness. 

Treatment. — Half  an  ounce  of  Epsom  salts,  a  drachm  of  ginfrpr,  and 
sixty  drops  of  essence  of  peppermint.  The  salts  alone,  however,  will 
effect  the  cure,  as  will  an  equivalent  duse  of  linseed-oil,  or  even  hoo-'s  lard. 


254  SHEEP    HUSBANDRY   IN    THE   SOUTH. 


LETTER  XVI. 

DISEASES  AND  THEIR  TREATMENT— (Continued.) 

Cacheptic  Diseases... Hydatid  on  the  Brain — diagnosis — common  methods  of  treating  it — treatment  of 
French  and  Kntilish  veterinarians.  ..The  I'elt  Rot.  ..Local  diseases.  ..Grub  in  the  head— the  nature  of 
the  <ti8ease,  if  one — en-oncous  popular  opinions — location  of  the  grub — description  of  the  fly  ((Estrua 
nvif) — method  of  attacking  the  sheep — conduct  of  the  sheep — appearance  of  the  larva — its  habits — the 
chrysalis— the  larva  found  in  the  heads  of  healthy  sheep — not  believed  to  be  the  cause  or  source  of  fatal 
disease — Mr.  Bracy  Clark's  and  Mr.  Youatt's  opinion — method  of  preventing  and  of  expelling  the  grub. .. 
Scab — nature  of  it— habits  of  the  acari — description  of  them— contagiousness  of  the  disease — post-mor- 
tem appearances — treatment..  .Erysipelatous  scab — treatment  —  Di.^ease  of  Biflv^x  Canal — nature  and 
treatment.  ..Hoof ail — first  indications— erroneous  statemenis  of  foreign  veterinarians — of  Mr.  Yoiiatt — 
author's  experience  with  it— diagnosis — chronic  hoof  ail — can  it  be  cured? — ditticuliies — preparation  of 
the  toot — ordinary  treatment — proper  treatment — cost  of  curing  a  flock — cheap  partial  remedies — sug- 
gestions— contagiousness  of  the  disease — how  communicated. .  .Fouls — cause  and  treatment.  ..Broncho- 
cele  or  goitre — diagnosis — treatment- ..Miscellaneous  diseases..  .Poison  from  eating  Laurel — symptoms — 

treatment. .  .Sore  Face — cause  and  treatment..  .Loss  of  cud — not  a  disease Hoove — cause — symptoms — 

cure... Obstruction  of  Gullet,  or  choking — treatment. .  .Fractures — treatment,  &c.  ..Method  of  adminis- 
tering medicine  into  the  stomach. .  .Method  of  bleeding..  .The  place  of  feeling  the  pulse...  List  of  medi- 
cines  employed  in  treating  the   diseases  of  sheep..  .Ale,-.  Aloes. .  .Alum. .  .Antimony. .  .Arsenic. .  .Blue 

Vitriol..  .Camphor Carraway    seeds Catechu Chalk..  .Corrosive  t'ublimate. .  .Digitalis..  .Epsom 

Salts. ..Gentian. ..Ginger. ..Iodine. ..Lard. ..Lime,   carbonate   of.. .Lime,   chloride  of ..  .Linseed  Oil... 

Mercury.  ..Muriatic   Acid. .  .Nitrate   of  Potash.  ..Nitrate    of  Silver.  ..Nitric   Acid.  ..Opium Pepper 

Pimento. --Rhubarb... Salt... Sulphate    of  Iron..  .Sulphur..  ..Sulphiuic   Acid Spirit  of  Tar Tar... 

Tobacco — Turpentine .  - .  Verdigris . . .  Zinc. 

CACHECTIC  DISEASES. 

Hydatid  on  the  Brain. — This  disease,  known  as  turnsick,  sturdy, 
staggers,  etc.,  is  spoken  of  by  Chancellor  Livingston,  and  other  writers 
of  reputation,  as  having  occurred  in  this  country  within  their  own  obsei'- 
vation.  I  have  never  seen  a  case  of  it,  and  shall  be  obliged,  therefore,  to 
make  use  of  the  descriptions  of  others.     Mr.  Spooner  says  : 

"  The  symptoms  are  a  dull,  moping  appearance,  the  sheep  separating  from  the  flock,  a 
■wandeiing  and  h/ne  appearance  to  the  eye,  and  sometimes  partial  or  total  blindness ;  the 
sheep  appears  utisteady  in  its  walk,  will  soinetimes  stop  suddenly  and  fall  down,  at  others 
gallop  across  the  field,  and  after  the  disease  has  existed  lor  some  time  will  almost  constantly 
move  round  in  a  circle — there  seems,  indeed,  to  be  an  aberration  of  the  intellect  of  the 
aniirial.  These  symptoms,  though  rarely  all  present  in  the  same  subject,  are  yet  sufficiently 
marked  to  prevent  the  disease  being  mistaken  for  any  other.  On  e.xamining  the  brain  of 
Bturdied  sheep,  we  find  what  appears  to  be  a  watery  bladder,  termed  a  hydatid,  which  inay 
be  either  small  or  of  the  size  of  a  hen's  egg.  This  hydatid,  one  of  the  class  of  entozoons 
has  been  termed  by  naturalists  the  hydalis  fiolycephalus  ccrebralis,  which  signifies  the 
many-headed  hydatid  of  the  brain ;  these  heads  being  irregularly  distributed  on  the  stir- 
face  of  the  bladder,  and  on  the  front  part  of  each  head  there  is  a  mouth  surrounded  by 
minute  sharp  hooks  within  a  ring  of  sucking  di.sks.  These  disks  serve  as  the  means  of 
attachment  by  ibrming  a  vacuuin,  and  bring  the  mouth  in  contact  with  the  surface,  and  thus 
by  the  aid  of  the  hooks  the  parasite  is  nourished.  The  coats  of  the  hydatid  are  disposed 
in  several  layers,  one  of  whicli  appears  to  possess  a  muscular  power.  These  facts  are 
developed  by  the  microscope,  which  also  discovers  numerous  little  bodies  adhering  to  the 
internal  membrane.  The  fluid  in  the  bladder  is  usually  clear,  but  occasionally  turbid,  and 
then  it  has  been  found  to  contain  a  number  of  minute  worms.  " 

According  to  Mr.  Youatt,  this  disease  attacks  many  of  the  weakly 
lambs  in  the  English  flocks.  It  usually  appears,  he  remarks,  "  during 
the  first  year  of  the  animal's  life,  and  when  he  is  about  or  under  six 
months  old."  It  succeeds  a  "  a  severe  winter  and  a  cold,  wet  spring." — 
He  says  : 

"  If  there  is  only  one  para.site  inhabiting  the  brain  of  a  sturdied  sheep,  its  situation  is  very 
uncertain.  It  is  mostly  found  beneath  the  pia-mater,  lying  upon  the  brain,  and  in  or  upon 
the  scissure  between  the  two  hemispheres.  If  it  is  within  the  brain,  it  is  generally  in  one 
of  the  ventricles,  but  occasionally  iu  the  substance  of  the  brain,  and,  iu  a  few  instances,  in 
tliat  of  the  cerebellum 


SHEEP   HUSBANDRY   IN   THE    SOUTH.  255 

TliiH  is  a  sinjruliir  tlisoasj';  hut  it   is  n  Kiully   [)reviileiit  imd  Hital  one  in  wet  iiiid  moorish 

•listric-ts It  is  iiiiicli  inore  f';tt;il   in    !•  niiui-   liiiiii   in  (ireat   liritaiii.     It  is  sii])|iosi-d 

tluit  nearly  u  inilliou  of  sheep  aie  dcslioyed  in  Fruuce  every  year  by  this  pest  of  the  uviue 
nice 

Tlie  means  of  cure  are  exceedingly  limited.  They  are  confined  to  the  removal  or  de»- 
tniction  of  the  vesicle.     Medicine  is  altogether  out  of  the  question  here." 

Many  barbafous  methods  have  been  adopted  to  niptme  the  hydatid, 
•\vhicli  I  will  not  dis<riist  you  by  repeating.  Mr.  James  Hogg  tlinist  a 
wire  up  the  nostrils  of  tlie  sheep,  and  through  the  ])late  of  tl)e  ellimoid 
bone  into  the  hrai/i,  and  thus,  as  he  assures  us,  jiuiictured  the  hydatid  and 
"cured  many  a  sheep  !"  *  Tliis  practice,  which  1  cannot  characterize 
otherwise  than  as  atrocious,  is  justly  condcnnied  by  Mr.  Youatt.  The 
doited  lines  </,  e,  aiul  d,  il,  in  fig.  49,  sliow  how  limited  a  portion  of  the 
brain  could  he  reached  with  a  wire  or  trochar  by  ])iercing  the  plate  of  tho 
ethmoid  bone — the  only  portion  of  the  walls  of  the  skull  thin  enough  to 
be  so  pierced  by  a  trochar  introduced  at  the  nostrils. 

Mr.  Parkinson  *'  pulled  the  ears  very  hard  for  some  time,"  and  then  cut 
them  oft"  close  to  the  head  !  t 

Where  the  hydatid  is  not  imbedded  in  the  brain,  its  constant  pressure, 
sincfularly  enough,  causes  a  portion  of  the  cranium  to  be  absorbed,  and- 
finally  the  part  immediately  over  the  hydatid  becomes  thin  and  soft 
enough  to  yield  under  the  pressure  of  the  finger.  When  such  a  s])ot  is 
discovered,  the  English  veterinarians  usually  dissect  back  the  muscular 
integuments,  remove  a  portion  of  the  bone,  carefully  divide  the  investing 
membranes  of  the  brain,  and  then,  if  possible,  remove  the  hydatid  whole 
— or,  failing  to  do  this,  remove  its  fluid  contents.  The  membranes  and 
integuments  are  then  restored  to  their  position,  and  an  adhesive  plaster 
placed  over  the  whole.  The  French  veterinarians  usually  simply  punc- 
ture the  cranium  and  the  cist  with  a  trochar,  and  laying  the  sheep  oti  its 
back,  permit  the  fluid  to  run  out  through  the  orifice  thus  made.  A  com- 
mon awl  would  answer  every  purpose  for  such  a  puncture.  The  puncture 
would  be  the  preferable  method  ior  the  unskilled  practitioner.  But  when 
we  take  into  consideration  the  hazard  and  cruelty  attending  the  operation 
at  best,  and  the  conceded  liability  of  a  return  of  the  malady — the  growth 
of  new  hydatids — it  becomes  apparent  that,  in  this  country,  it  would  not 
be  worth  while,  unless  in  the  case  of  uncommonly  valuable  sheep,  to  resort 
to  any  other  remedy  than  depriving  the  miserable  animal  of  life. 

Pelt  Rot — Ts  classified  as  a  disease  by  Mr.  Livingston,  and  various 
other  American  writers.     Mr.  Livingston  says  : 

"This  is  often  mistaken  for  the  scab,  but  it  is  in  fact  a  differpnt  and  less  dangerous 
disease  ;  in  this  the  wool  will  fall  off,  and  leave  the  sh<'('[)  nearly  naked  ;  but  it  is  attended 
with  no  soreness,  though  a  while  crust  will  cover  tin;  skin  from  the  wool  which  has 
dropped.  It  generally  arises  from  hard  keepins  and  much  exposure  to  cold  and  wet,  and, 
in  fact,  the  animal  often  dies  in  severe  wealliiT  i'roin  the  cold  it  suilt-rs  by  the  loss  of  its 
coat.  The  remedy  is  full  feeding,  and  a  warm  stall,  and  anointing  the  hard  part  of  the  skin 
with  tar,  oil.  and  butter."  X 

I  have  seen  frequent  cases  of  the  pelt  rot,  but  never  have  done  any- 
thing for  it,  scarcely  considering  it  a  disease.  If  the  condition  of  a  poor 
sheep  is  raised  as  suddenly  as  practicable,  by  generous  keep  in  the  winter, 
the  wool  is  very  apt  to  drop  off,  and  if  yet  cold,  the  sheep  will  reijuire 
warm  shelter. 


*  Hoej  on  Sheep,  p.  50. 

\  I'arkiiuion  on  Sheep,  vol.  1,  p.  412. 

4  LiriognoD  on  Sheep,  Appendix,  p.  179. 


256  SHEEP   HUSBANDRY   IN   THE    SOUTH. 

LOCAL  DISEASES. 

"  Grub  in  the  Head." — If  the  "  grubs"  found  in  the  frontal  and  max- 
illary sinuses  of  the  sheep  actually,  in  any  case,  produce  diseasr,  it  must  be, 
in  rriy  judgment,  by  the  irritation  and  inflammation  which  they  induce  in 
the  mucous  membrane  which  lines  those  cavities.  Tlie  popular  theory 
that  the  grub  causes  death  by  boring  through  the  bony  walls  which  sur- 
round the  brain,  and  attacking  the  substance  of  the  brain  itself,  is,  it  seems 
to  me,  utterly  absurd.  The  only  part  of  the  skull  where  it  could  even  be 
fancied  that  such  a  perforation  would  be  practicable,  is  the  cribriform  plate 
of  the  ethmoid  bone  (11  of  fig.  49,)  which  is  very  thin  and  is  pierced  with 
numerous  small  holes  for  the  passage  of  nerves.  But  an  inspection  of  the 
same  figure  will  show  that  the  sinus  where  the  parasite  is  generally  found 
lodn-ed,  is  not  in  immediate  juxtaposition  with  the  cribriform  plate,  and 
that  a  passage  from  the  former  to  the  brain,  would  lead  directly  through 
the  frontal  bone — the  thickest  one  of  the  whole  cranium.  I  never  saw  but 
one  grub  in  the  cells  of  the  ethmoid  bone  near  the  cribriform  plate,  and 
that,  I  judged  at  the  time,  was  thrown  there  accidentally  by  the  violence 
attendino-  the  opening  of  the  head.*  But  if  the  grub  actually  penetrates 
•to  the  brain,  the  fact  would  readily  be  disclosed  after  death.  The  full- 
grown  grub  would  necessarily  leave  an  orifice  of  considerable  diameter 
throuo-h  the  skull.  Who  has  seen  any  such  orifice  in  the  cribriform  plate 
or  elsewhere  1  Who  has  seen  any  orifice  but  the  natural  ones  of  the  crib- 
riform Y>^aite,  filled  with  the  nerves  Avhich  pass  through  them  1  The  farmer 
splits  open  the  head  of  a  sheep  with  an  ax,  cutting,  mangling  and  scatter- 
ing its  contents,  by  the  repeated  blows  necessary  to  eflect  his  purpose. — 
Under  such  circumstances  grubs  are  sometimes  found  scattered  through 
all  the  nasal  cavities — over  and  among  the  brains — and  on  the  ground.— 
The  proof  is  just  as  strong,  here,  that  prior  to  opening  the  head,  somewf 
the  grubs  were  on  the  ground.,  as  that  they  were  in  the  brain  ! 

The  "  grub  "  of  popular  parlance  is  the  larva  of  the  Oestrus  oms,  or  gad-fly 
of  the'  sheep.  The  latter  is  represented  of  the  nat- 
ural size  in  figures  60  and  61.  It  is  composed  of  Fie,  60-  Fig.  61. 
five  rings.  It  is  tiger-colored  on  the  back  and 
belly,  sprinkled  with  spots  and  patches  of  brown. 
The  wings  are  striped.  The  comparative  propor- 
tions of  the  head,  corslet,  wings,  etc.  are  suflficient- 
ly  seen  in  the  cuts.  He  who  desires  a  full,  scien- 
tific description  of  these  insects,  or  who  would 
fully  investigate  their  habits  and  economy,  will  do 

well  to   consult    the  excellent  monograph  of  them  by  Mr.  Bracy  Clark 
the  celebrated  veterinarian. 

The  sheep  gad-fly  is  led  by  instinct  to  deposit  its  eggs  within  the  nos- 
trils of  the  sheep.  Its  attempts  to  do  this,  most  common  in  July  and  Au- 
gust, are  always  indicated  by  the  sheep,  which  collect  in  close  clumps 
with  their  heads  inward  and  their  noses  thrust  close  to  the  ground,  and  m- 
to  it,  if  any  loose  dirt  or  sand  is  within  their  reach.  If  the  fly  succeeds  in 
depositing  its  e<rg,  it  is  immediately  hatched  by  the  warmth  and  moisture 
of  the  part,  and  the  young  grubs,  or  larvae,  crawl  up  the  nose,  finding  their 
devious  way  to  the  sinuses,  where,  by  means  of  their  tentaculae,  they  at- 
tach themselves  to  the  mucous  membrane  lining  those  cavities.  During 
the  ascent  of  the  larvte,  the  sheep  stamps,  tosses  its  head  violently,  and  of- 
ten dashes  away  from  its  companions  wildly  over  the  field.     The  larvae  re- 


*  The  head  was  clnven  with  an  az  !     It  is  proper  to  eay,  however,  that  various  writers  speak  of  having 
found  the  grubs  in  the  ethmoid  cells,  and  indeed  in  all  the  nasal  cavities. 


SHEEP    HUSBANDRY    IN   THE    SOUTH. 


257 


main  in  the  sinuses  feeiliiiij  on  tlie  inucus  secreted  hy  the  membrane,  and 
apparently  creating  no  farther  annoyance,  until  ready  to  assumi!  tlieir  pu- 
pa form  in  the  succeeding  spring.  Figures  62  and  63  give  the  shape  and 
an  upper  and  under  view  of  the  full-grown  larva. 


Fig.  6'J, 


Fig.  C3. 


Fig.  64.    Fig.  65. 


THE  "GRlin"  OR  LARVA  OF  THE  SHKKP  GAI)-KI,Y. 

The  body  consists  of  eleven  rings,  colorless  in  the  young  grub,  but  the 
elevated  portions  growing  darker  with  age,  and  becoming  a  dark  luowu 
when  the  full  size  is  attaiiied.  There  are  round  spots  of  a  still  darker 
color  on  each  of  these  bands.  At  the  edges  of  the  rings  are  a  few  short 
hairs,  and  lower  down  stmie  round  darkish  spots,  as  shown  in  fig.  62. — 
Small  red  spines,  as  shown  in  fig.  63,  cover  tlie  space  between  the  rings 
on  the  belly.  The  remainder  of  the  body  (with  the  exception  of  the  poste- 
rior stigmata)  is  white.  The  tentacuUe,  as  well  as  certain  appendages  on 
each  side  of  the  anus,  the  purposes  of  which  have  not  been  discovered,  aro 
Been  in  fig.  63. 

The  larva  having  remained  in  the  sinuses  through  the  fall  and  winter, 
abandons  them  as  the  warm  weather  advances  in  tlie  latter  part  of  spring. 
It  crawls  down  the  nose,  creating  even  greater  irritation  and  excitement: 
than  when  it  originally  ascended,  drops  on  the  ground,  and  rapidly  bur- 
rows into  it.  In  a  few  hours  its  skin  has  contracted,  become  of  a  dark 
brown  color,  and  it  has  assumed  the  form  of  a  chrysalis,  as  seen  in  fig.  64. 
Or  rather,  this  figure  exhibits  i\\e*'shcll  of  the  chrysalis,  af- 
ter the  escape  of  the  fly  ;  and  fig.  65  sliows  the  upper  ex- 
tremity or  head  of  the  pupa,  detached  by  the  fly  in  its  es- 
cape. 

The  experiments  of  Valisnieri  go  to  show  that  the  GEs- 
trus  ovis  never  eats — and  this  is  the  received  opinion. — 
The  male,  after  impregnating  two  or  three  females,  dies, 
and  the  latter  having  deposited  their  ova  in  the  nostrils 
of  the  sheep,  also  soon  perish. 

The  larva  in  the  heads  of  sheep  may,  and  probably  do 
add  to  the  irritation  of  those  inflammatory  diseases,  such  as  catarrh,  which 
attack  the  membrdueous  lining  of  the  nasal  cavities  ;  and  they  are,  as  we 
have  seen,  a  powerful  source  of  momentary  irritation  in  the  first  instance, 
when  ascending  to  and  descending  from  their  lodging-place  in  the  head. 
But  in  the  interval  between  these  events — extending  over  a  period  of 
several  months — not  a  movement  of  the  she^p  indicates  the  least  annoy- 
ance at  their  presence,  or  reveals  to  the  veterinarian  whether  they  exist  in 
the  sinuses  or  not.  It  would  be  very  difficult  to  believe  that  all  the  local 
iiTi1:ation  which  these  parasites  could  cause,  would  be  sufficient  to  termi- 
nate life,  and,  so  far  as  my  observation  has  extended,  post-mortem  exam- 
ination discloses  no  lesions  which  would  in  anywi.se  sanction  such  belief 
The  larvae,  moreover,  are  found,  at  the  proper  season,  in  the  heads  of  near- 
ly all  sheep — the  healthy  as  well  as  the  diseased — and  I  never  have  been 
able  to  ascertain  that  the  number  of  them  is  greater,  on  the  average,  in  the 
heads  of  those  shccji  which  were  supposed  to  have  fallen  victims  to  their 
attacks,  than  in  the  heads  of  perfecihj  healthy  sheep  slaughtered  for  the 
table.     And  to  prove  that  the  popular  ideas  on  the  subject  are  but  vague 

2  K 


SHKLt, 
OF   CHRYSALIS. 


258  SHEEP    HUSBANDRY   IN    THE    SOUTH. 

and  crude — not  the  result  of  that  long  and  close  comparison  of  symptoms, 
results,  and  post-mortem  appearances,  which  would  give  weight  to  the 
opinions  of  the  most  unerudite — we  have  but  to  notice  a  few  of  the  cases 
popularly  referred  to  the  "  grub  in  the  head."  A  sheep  in  the  highest 
condition  and  apparent  health  leaps  into  the  air  two  or  three  times,  and 
suddenly  dies,  and  if  a  grub  can  be  found  in  the  cavities  of  the  head,  that 
is  the  undoubted  destroyer.  Another  wastes  away  for  months  and  dies 
lingeringly,  a  mere  skeleton,  and  the  same  proof  establishes  the  same  fact. 
Whether  thei-e  has  been  fever  or  no  fever — whether  there  has  been  obsti- 
nate constipation,  or  equally  obstinate  dysentery — whether  one  viscus  or 
another  exhibit  traces  of  abnormal  action — whether  the  disease  has  been 
acute  or  chronic — in  a  word,  whatever  the  form  or  character  of  the  mal- 
ady— however  diametrically  different  the  diagnosis  and  the  lesions,  it  is  a 
clear  case  of  "  grub  in  the  head,"  if  two  or  three  of  those  parasites  are 
found  there  ! 

Mr.  Bracy  Clark  and  Mr.  Youatt,  so  far  from  regarding  the  larva  of  the 
CEstrus  oris  as  the  cause  of  a  fatal  disease,  suggest  that  they  may  even 
promote  the  health  of  the  sheep  by  diminishing  the  tendency  to  cerebral 
disease — especially  determinations  of  blood — by  establishing  counter  irri- 
tation !  Mr.  Spooner  does  not  speak  of  their  producing  fatal  eff"ects  in 
any  instances,  nor  am  I  awaie  that  any  late  scientific  veterinarians  do. 

Treatment. — Though  the  presence  of  the  grub  constitutes  no  disease, 
gome  think  it  well  to  diminish  their  number  by  all  convenient  means. — 
One  simple  way  of  effecting  this  is  by  turning  up  with  a  plow  a  furrow  of 
earth  in  the  sheep  pasture.  Into  this  the  sheep  will  thrust  their  noses  on 
the  approach  of  the  CEstrus,  and  thus  many  of  them  escape  its  attacks. — 
Some  farmers  smear  the  noses  of  their  sheep  with  tar  occasionally,  during 
the  proper  season — the  odor  of  which  is  believed  to  repel  the  fly.  Others 
compel  the  sheep  to  smear  their  own  noses  every  week  or  two,  by  feed- 
ing them  their  salt  sprinkled  over  tar.  Blacklock  says  that  the  larvae  may 
be  dislodged  even  from  the  sinuses,  by  blowing  tobacco  smoke  for  some 
moments  through  the  tail  of  a  pipe  into  each  nostril.  I  have  never  tiied 
the  experiment. 

The  Scab. — The  scab  is  a  cutaneous  disease,  analogous  to  the  mange 
in  horses  and  the  itch  in  men.  It  is  caused  and  propagated  by  a  minute 
insect,  the  acarus.  M.  Walz,  a  German  veterinai'ian,  who  has  thrown 
great  light  on  the  habits  of  these  parasites,  says  : 

"  If  one  or  more  female  acari  are  placed  on  the  vi^ool  of  a  sound  sheep,  they  quickly  travel 
to  the  root  of  it,  and  bury  themselves  in  the  skin,  the  place  at  which  they  penetrated  being 
scarcely  visible,  or  only  distinguished  by  a  minute  red  point.  On  the  tenth  or  twelfth  day  a 
little  swelling  may  be  detected  with  the  finger,  and  the  skin  changes  its  color,  and  has  a 
greenish  blue  tint.  The  pustule  is  now  rapidly  formed,  and  about  the  sixteenth  day  breaks, 
and  the  mothers  again  appear,  with  their  little  ones  attached  to  their  feet,  and  covered  by 
a  portion  of  the  shell  of  the  egg  from  which  they  have  just  escaped.  These  little  ones  im- 
mediately set  to  work,  and  penetrate  the  iK^ghbonng  skin,  and  Ijury  themselves  beneath  it, 
and  find  their  proper  nourishment,  and  grow  and  propagate,  until  the  poor  animal  has  myri- 
ads of  them  to  prey  on  him,  and  it  is  not  wonderful  that  he  should  speedily  sink.  Some  of 
the  male  acari  were  placed  on  the  sound  skin  of  a  sheep,  and  they  too  burrowed  their  way 
and  disappeared  for  a  wliile,  and  the  pustule  in  due  time  arose  ;  but  the  itching  aiid  the 
Bcab  soon  disappeared  without  the  employment  of  any  remedy. 

The  figures  on  the  next  page  are  copied  from  M.  Walz's  work  : 
The  female  acarus  brings  forth  from  eight  to  fifteen  young  at  a  litter. 
The  scab  is  often  produced  spontaneously  in  England   by  mismanage- 
ment   of    various    kinds,  such    as  "  bad   keep,  starvation,  hasty    diiving, 
dogging,  and  exposure  afterward  to  cold  and  wet ;"  and  it  spreads  rapidly 


SHEEP    HUSBANDRY    IN    THE    SOUTH. 


250 


by  contagion.  It  is  very  prevalent  there,  and  annually  causes  an  immense 
loss  in  the  wool  and  flesh  of  the  British  flocks.  In  the  United  States  it  is 
comparatively  little  known,  and  so  far  as  I  am  able  to  leani,  never  origin- 
ates spontaneously.     It  is  a  singular  fact  that  short-wooled  sheep,  like  the 


Fig.  C8. 


THE  ACARUS  WHICH  CAUSES  SCAB. 

Fig.  67. — TTie  ncBri  of  their  nnrural  size  on  a  darit  ground. 

Fii;.  tifi. — The  tl'mnlo  of  liCiti  tinics  the  natural  size,  larger  than  the  male,  of  an  oval  form,  and  provided 
with  eit'ht  feet,  four  before  and  four  behind. 
a. — 'I'he  eurker. 

b.  b.  b.  b. — The  four  anterior  feet,  with  their  trumpet-like  appendices. 

c.  c. — The  two  interior  hind  feet 

d.  d. — The  two  outward  feet,  the  extremities  of  which  are  provided  with  Bome  long  haire,  and  on  the 
other  parts  of  the  legs  are  shorter  hairs.  To  these  hairs  the  young  ones  adhere,  when  they  first  escape 
from  the  pustule. 

t. — The  tail,  containing  the  anus  and  vulva,  garnished  with  some  short  hairs. 

Fig.  fiji. — The  male  on  its  back,  and  seen  by  the  same  magnifying  power. 

a. — The  sucker. 

h.  b.  b.  b. — The  fore-legs  with  their  trumpet-like  appendices,  as  seen  in  the  female. 

e.  c. — The  two  hind-legs,  with  the  same  appendices  and  hairs. 
d. — The  rudiments  of  the  abdominal  feet. 

€. — The  tail. 

Merino,  are  much  less  subject  to  its  attacks,  and  this  is  probably  one 
reason  for  its  little  comparative  prevalence  in  the  United  States.  Mr. 
Youatt  observes : 

"  The  old  and  unhealthy  sheep  are  first  attacted,  and  long-wooled  sheep  in  preference  to 
the  short ;  a  healthy  short-wooled  sheep  will  long  bid  defiance  to  tlie  contagion,  or  probably 
escape  it  altogether." 

It  spreads  from  individual  to  individual  and  from  flock  to  flock,  not  only 
by  means  of  direct  contact,  but  by  the  acari  left  on  posts,  stones,  and  other 
substances  against  which  diseased  sheep  have  rubbed  themselves.  Healthy 
sheep  are  therefore  liable  to  contract  the  malady  if  turned  on  pastures  pre- 
viously occupied  by  scabby  sheep,  though  some  considerable  time  may 
have  elapsed  since  the  departure  of  the  latter. 

^  The  sheep  laboring  under  the  scab  is  exceedingly  restless.  It  rubs  it- 
self with  violence  against  trees,  stones,  fences,  &c.  It  scratches  itself 
with  its  feet,  and  bites  its  sores  and  tears  off"  its  wool  with  its  teeth.  As 
the  pustules  are  broken,  their  matter  escapes,  and  forms  scabs  covering 
red,  inflamed  sores.  The  sores  constantly  extend,  increasing  the  misery 
of  the  tortured  animal.     If  unrelieved,  he  pines  away  and  soon  perishes. 

I  have  never  had  an  opportunity  to  observe  the  post-mortem  appear- 
ances.    Mr.  Youatt  says : 

"  The  post-mortem  appearances  are  very  imcertain  and  inconchisive.  There  is  generally 
chrotiic  inflammation  of  the  iutfstines,  with  the  j>resenceof  a  great  number  of  wonns.  The 
liver  is  occasionally  schirrotis,  and  the  spleen  enlarged  ;  and  there  are  frequently  serous  effu 


260  SHEEP    HUSBANDRY    IN   THE    SOUTH. 

eious  in  the  belly,  and  sometimes  in  the  chest.     There  has  been  evident  sympathy  between 
the  digestive  and  the  cutaneous  systems." 

Treatment. — About  twelve  years  since,  I  purchased  150  fine-wooled 
glieep  just  driven  into  the  county  from  a  considerable  distance.  I  placed 
them  on  a  farm  then  ow^ned  by  me,  in  another  town,  and  did  not  see  them 
for  about  three  weeks.  One  of  my  men  then  reported  to  me  that  the  sheep 
were  amiss — that  they  were  shedding  off  their  wool — sore  spots  were  be- 
ginnintr  to  show  on  them — and  that  they  rubbed  themselves  against  the 
fence-corners,  &c.  Though  I  had  never  seen  the  scab,  I  took  it  for  granted 
that  this  was  the  disease.  No  time  was  to  be  lost,  as  I  had  700  other 
sheep  on  the  ftirm — though  fortunately,  thus  far,  the  new  comers  had  been 
kept  entirely  separate  from  them.  Barely  looking  into  Mr.  Livingston's 
work  for  a  remedy,  I  provided  myself  with  an  ample  supply  of  tobacco 
and  set  out.  The  sheep  had  been  shorn,  and  their  backs  w^ere  covered 
with  scabs  and  sores.  They  evidently  had  the  scab.  I  had  a  large  potash 
kettle  sunk  partly  in  the  ground  as  an  extempore  vat,  and  an  unweighed 
quantity  of  tobacco  put  to  boiling  in  several  other  kettles.  The  only  care 
was  to  have  enough  of  the  decoction,  as  it  was  rapidly  wasted,  and  to  have 
it  strong  enough.  A  little  spirits  of  turpentine  was  occasionally  thrown  on 
the  decoction,  say  to  every  third  or  fourth  sheep  dipped.  It  was  neces- 
sary to  use  it  sparingly,  as,  not  mixing  with  the  fluid  and  floating  on  the 
surface,  too  much  of  it  otherwise  came  in  contact  with  the  sheep.  Not  at- 
tending to  this  at  first,  two  or  three  of  the  sheep  are  thrown  into  great  ag- 
ony, and  appeared  to  be  on  the  point  of  dying.  I  had  each  sheep  caught 
and  its  scabs  scoured  off,  by  two  men  who  rubbed  them  with  stiff"  shoe- 
brushes,  dipped  in  a  suds  of  tobacco-water  and  soft  soap.  The  two  men 
then  dipped  the  sheep  all  over  in  the  large  kettle  of  tobacco-water,  rub- 
bing and  kneading  the  sore  spots  with  their  hands  while  immersed  in  the 
fluid.  The  decoction  was  so  strong  that  many  of  the  sheep  appeared  to  be 
sickened  either  by  immersion  or  by  its  fumes  ;  and  one  of  the  men  who 
dipped,  though  a  tobacco-chewer,  vomited,  and  became  so  sick  that  his 
place  had  to  be  supplied  by  another. 

The  effect  on  the  sheep  was  almost  magical  !  The  sores  rapidly  healed, 
the  sheep  gained  in  condition,  the  new  wool  immediately  started,  and  I 
never  had  a  more  perfectly  healthy  flock  on  my  farm.  Though  adminis- 
tered with  little  reference  to  economy,  the  remedy  was  a  decisive  one. — 
With  a  vat  like  fig.  27,  (Letter  XII,)  this  would  not  necessarily  be  a  very 
expensive  method,  with  sheep  recently  sheared.  But  the  assaults  of  the 
scab  usually  come  on  in  the  spring  before  shearing  time,  and  it  would  re- 
quire an  immense  quantity  of  the  tobacco  decoction  to  dip  sheep  with  their 
fleeces  on,  however  carefully  it  might  be  pressed  out. 

The  following  is  the  remedy  recommended  by  Chancellor  Livingston  : 

"  First,  I  separate  the  sheep  (for  it  is  very  infectious)  ;  I  then  cut  off  the  wool  as  far  as  the 
skin  feels  hard  to  the  finger  ;  the  scab  is  then  washed  with  soap-suds,  and  rubbed  hard  with 
a  shoe-brush,  so  as  to  cleanse  and  break  the  scab.  I  always  keep  for  this  use  a  decoction 
of  tobacco,  to  which  T  add  one-third  by  measure  of  the  lye  of  wood  ashes,  as  much  hog's-lard 
as  will  be  dissolved  by  the  lye,  a  small  quantity  of  lar  from  the  tar-bucket,  which  contains 
gi-ease,  and  about  one-eighth  of  the  whole  by  measure  of  spirits  of  turpentine.  This  liquor 
is  rubbed  upon  the  part  infected,  and  spread  to  a  little  distance  round  it,  in  three  washings, 
with  an  interval  of  three  days  each.     I  have  never  failed  in  this  way  to  effect  a  cure  when 

the  disorder  was  only  partial 1  cannot  say  whether  it  would  cure  a  sheep  infected 

BO  as  to  lose  half  its  fleece."* 

The  following  remedies  are  much  used  in  Gi'eat  Britain  : 

No.  1. — Dip  the  sheep  in  an  infusion  of  arsenic,  in   the  proportion  of 


*  Lmngston's  Essay.    Appendix,  p.  177. 


SHEEP   HUSBANDRY  IN   THE    SOUTH.  261 

hair  a  pouuil  of  arsenic  to  twelve  gallons  of  water.  Tlie  sheep  should  pre- 
viously he  washed  in  soap  and  wiiter.  The  infusion  must  not  be  per- 
mitted to  enter  the  mouth  or  nostiils. 

No.  2. — Take  common  mercurial  ointment,  for  bad  cases,  rub  it  own 
with  three  times  its  weii^ht  of  lard — for  ordinary  cases,  five  times  its  weieht 
of  lard.  Rub  a  little  of  this  ointment  into  the  head  of  the  sheep.  Part  the 
wool  so  as  to  expose  the  skin  in  a  line  from  the  head  to  the  tail,  and  then 
apply  a  little  of  the  ointment  with  the  finger  the  whole  way.  Make  a  sim- 
ilar furrow  and  application,  on  each  side,  four  inches  from  the  first,  and  so 
on   over   the  whole  body.     The   quantity  of  ointment  (after  being  com- 

f)ounded  with  the  lard)  should  not  exceed   two   ounces,  and  considerably 
ess  will    generally  suffice.     A  lamb  requires  but  one-third   as  much   as  a 
grown  sheep.     Tins  will  generally  cure,  but  if  the  sheep  should   continue 
to  rub  itself,  a  lighter  application  of  the  same  should  be  made  in  ten  days. 
No.  3. — Take  of  lard  or   palm  oil  2  lbs.,  oil  of  tar  ^  lb.,  sulphur  1  lb. — 

Gradually  mix  the  last  two,  tlien  rub  down  the  compound  with  the  first. 

Ap})ly  in  the  same  way  as  No.  2. 

No  4. — Take  of  corrosive  sublimate  l  lb.,  white  liellebore,  powdered,  | 
lb.,  whale  or  other  oil  6  gallons,  rosin  2  lbs.,  tallow  2  lbs.  "  The  first  two 
to  be  mixed  with  a  little  of  the  oil,  and  the  rest  being  melted  together,  the 
whole  to  be  gradually  mixed."  This  is  a  powerful  preparation  and  must 
not  be  applied  too  freely. 

Mr.  Spooner  gives  the  preference  to  No.  1,  as  least  troublesome  ;  Mr. 
Youatt  to  No.  2  ;  and  the  author  of  the  Mountain  Shepherd's  Manual  to 
No.  4.  I  should  certainly  prefer  No.  3,  if  it  is,  as  it  is  asserted  to  be, 
equally  effectual,  for  the  reason  that  it  contains  no  poisonous  or  dangerous 
ingredients.  « 

An  erysipelatous  scab,  or  erysipelas,  attended  with  considerable  itch- 
ing, sometimes  attacks  the  English  flocks,  but  I  have  heard  of  no  cases  of 
it  here.  This  would  be  classified  as  a  febrile  disease.  ]t  is  treated  with 
a  cooling  purgative,  venesection,  and  oil  or  lard  applied  to  the  sores. 

Disease  of  the  Biflex  Canal. — From  the  introduction  of  foreign  bod- 
ies into  the  biflex  canal,  or  from  other  causes,  it  occasionally  becomes  the 
seat  of  inflammation.  This  is  sometimes  c<mfounded  with  the  hoof-ail, 
but  the  diseases  are  entirely  distinct  and  different  from  each  other.  In- 
flammation of  the  biflex  canal  causes  an  enlargement  and  redness  of  the 
pastern,  particularly  about  the  external  onfice  of  the  canal.  The  toes  are 
thrown  wide  apart  by  the  tumor.  I  never  have  known  it  to  attack  more 
than  one  foot,  and  never  have  allowed  it  to  go  to  the  point  of  ulceration, 
which  it  is  said  to  do  if  neglected.  There  is  none  of  that  soieness  and 
disorganization  between  the  back  part  of  the  toes — and  none  of  that  pecu- 
liar fetor  which  distinguishes  the  lioof-ail.  I  never  have  found  it  anythino- 
like  so  serious  a  disease  as  it  is  desciibed  to  be  by  the  English  veterina- 
rians. 

Treatment. — I  have  always  scarified  the  coronet,  making  one  or  two 
deeper  incisions  in  the  principal  swelling  around  the  mouth  of  the  canal 
— covered  the  foot  with  tar — and  paid  no  more  attention  to  it. 

HooF-AiL. — The  first  symptom  of  this  troublesome  malady,  which  is  or- 
dinarily noticed,  is  a  lameness  of  one  or  b(jth  of  the  fore  feet.  J?ut  on  daily 
examiningthe  feet  of  aflock  which  have  the  disease  among  them,  it  will  be 
readily  seen  that  the  lesions  manifest  themselves  for  several  days  ]>efore 
they  are  followed  with  lameness.     Scarcely  any  English  writer  whom  1 


262  SHEEP   HUSBANDRY   IN   THE    SOUTH. 

have  read,  describes  with  respectable  accuracy  the  first  appearances  of 
the  hoof-ail  as  it  exhibits  itself  m  this  country,  and  among  the  jinc-tcooled, 
sheep*     Mr.  Youatt  says  : 

"  The  foot  will  be  fouud  hot  and  tender,  the  horn  softer  than  usual,  and  there  will  be  en- 
largement about  the  coronet,  and  a  slight  separation  of  the  hoof  from  it,  with  portions  of  the 
horn  worn  away,  and  ulcers  formed  below,  and  a  discharge  of  their  fetid  matter.  The  ul- 
cers, if  neglected,  continue  to  increase  ;  they  throw  out  fungous  granulations,  they  separate 
the  hoof  more  and  more  from  the  parts  beneath,  until  at  length  it  drops  off."' 

The  above  is  not  a  description  of  the  consecutive  symptoms  of  the  hoof- 
ail  as  /have  seen  them.  The  hoof,  instead  of  being  softened,  is  percepti- 
bly hardened,  I  think,  by  the  presence  of  the  disease.  There  is  occasion- 
ally an  enlargement  about  the  coronet,  but  this  is  not  common  in  the  out- 
set; and  so  far  from  the  honi  first  separating  from  the  foot  at  that  point,  it 
is  the  last  place  where  it  usually  adheres  when  the  soles  are  eaten  away 
by  the  ulcerous  matter,  and  the  mere  outside  shell  remains.  I  never  have 
known  a  hoof  to  drop  off,  entire,  in  the  sense  in  which  1  understand  the 
closing  part  of  Mr.  Youatt's  remark. 

My  first  introduction  to  this  disease  was  by  its  breaking  out  in  its  most 
malignant  form  in  a  flock  of  eight  hundred  sheep,  with  which  I  had  placed, 
early  in  the  preceding  spring,  a  few  valuable  sheep  received  from  abroad 
which  were  infected  with  the  hoof-ail,  without  my  having  the  slightest  sus- 
picion of  the  fact.  The  disease,  when  of  long  standing,  and  well  kept  un- 
der, shows  itself  but  very  little  during  the  winter  and  spring,  unless  the 
foot  is  directly  examined.  Every  sheep  in  that  eight  hundred  took  the 
disease,  sometimes  first  in  one  foot,  then  in  another,  then  in  a  third,  and 
when  the  fourth  one  was  attacked,  perhaps  it  was  again  bursting  out  in 
one  of  the  cured  feet  !  I  considered  the  sheep  valuable,  had  much  of  the 
esprit  du  corps  of  a  young  flock-master,  and  was  determined,  to  conquer  the 
malady  at  any  cost  and  at  all  hazards.  I  have  little  doubt  that  every  sheep 
in  the  flock  was  "  doctored  "  on  the  average  ten  times  each,  and  it  was 
very  rarely  that  I  permitted  any  other  person  than  myself  to  cut  away  the 
horn  and  prepare  the  foot  of  a  single  sheep  for  the  application  of  the  reme- 
dies !  When  I  look  back  to  that  period — the  sheep  on  some  remote  pas- 
tures— not  a  shed  on  them  to  shelter  myself  or  assistants  from  the  burning 
August  sun  as  we  bent  ten  or  twelve  hours  a  day  over  our  task — our  only 
*'  operating  room  "  a  yard  in  the  corner  of  two  fields — blood  and  pus  en- 
crusting hands  and  garments,  and  occasionally  by  an  unlucky  stroke  of  the 
knife  showered  o\ ex  face  and  hosom — the  crawling  maggots — the  intolera- 
ble fetor  : — I  hardly  know  whether  to  take  credit  to  myself  for  or  to  laugh 
at  the  stanchness  of  my  zeal.     But,  worst  of  all,  with  all  my  labor,  I  had 

"  Bcotch'd  the  snake,  not  killed  it ! " 

The  disease  appeared  in  my  flock,  though  in  a  much  mitigated  form, 
the  next  summer.  I  think  I  then  cured  it — but  I  was  not  allowed  to  es- 
cape thus.  In  the  succeeding  summer,  accident  again  brought  it  among 
my  sheep.  In  a  word,  I  have  first  and  last  served  a  five  years'  appren- 
ticeship to  combating  the  hoof-ail.  Having  seen  it  in  every  possible  phase 
— having  experimented  with  almost  every  recommended  remedy  not  obvi- 
ously empirical — I  shall  be  excused  if  I  speak  my  own  opinions  with  a  de- 

*  As  I  have  before  etated,  when  discussing  "  the  most  profitable  breed  for  the  South,"  the  hoof  of  the  Me- 
rino and  that  of  the  Kngllsh  Long-Wooled  races,  is  essentially  ditlerent.  The  latter  usually  retains  its  natu- 
ral shape  and  thickness,  and  although  the  side-crust  sometimes  turns  under,  it  is  but  a  comparatively  thin 
Blip  of  horn,  which  is  subsequently  worn  or  broken  of!'— or  it  is  racily  removed  by  the  knife.  The  hoof  of 
the  Merino  growa  rR]yidi\y,  rsptc/ally  wUen  the  animal  has  tht  hoof  ail  The  homy  soles  will  sometimes  be- 
come nearly  an  inch  thick,  and  the  toes  will  elongate  and  turn  up  in  froiit  like  horns,  to  the  length  of  three 
and  even  four  inches.  The  weight  of  the  Merino  is  much  less  than  that  of  the  Long- Wool.  Take  these 
facts  into  consideration,  together  with  some  of  the  other  circumstances  detailed  in  the  introductory  remarks 
to  Letter  XIV,  and  perhaps  it  sufficieutly  uccounta  for  some  differences  in  the  diagnosis  of  the  disease  be- 
Ivi'eea  the  two  countries. 


SHEEP   HUSBANDRY   IN  THE    SOUTH.  263 


gree  of  confidence,  even  if  they  chance  to  conflict  with  those  of  professed 
and  eminent  veterinarians. 

As  all  are  aware,  the  horny  covcrini^  of  the  sheep's  foot  extends  up, 
gradually  thinning  out,  some  way  between  tlie  toes  or  divisions  of  ilie  hoof] 
and  above  these  horny  walls  the  "cleft"  is  lined  with  skin.  When  the 
points  of  tlie  toes  are  spread  apart,  this  skin  is  shown  in  front,  covered 
with  short,  soft  hair.  The  back  part  of  the  toes,  or  the  "  heels,"  can  be  sep- 
arated only  to  a  little  distance,  and  the  skin  in  the  cleft  above  them  is 
naked.  In  a  healthy  foot,  the  skin  throughout  the  whole  cleft  is  as  firm, 
sound,  dry  and  uneroded,  as  on  any  other  part  of  the  animal. 

The  first  symptom  of  hoof-ail  is  a  slight  erosion,  accompanied  with  in- 
flammation and  heat  of  the  naked  skin  in  the  hack  part  of  the  cleft,  imme- 
diately above  the  heels.  The  skin  assumes  a  macerated  appearance,  and 
is  kept  moist  by  the  presence  of  a  sanious  discharge  from  the  ulcerated  sur- 
face. As  the  inflammation  extends,  the  friction  of  the  parts  causes  pain 
and  the  sheep  limps.  At  this  stage  the  foot  externaUij,  in  a  great  ma- 
jority of  cases,  exhibits  not  the  least  trace  of  disease,  with  the  exception 
of  a  slight  redness,  and  sometimes  the  appearance  of  a  small  sore  at  the 
upper  edge  of  the  cleft,  when  viewed  from  behind. 

The  ulceration  of  the  surface  rapidly  extends.     The   thin  upper  edges 
of  the  inner  walls  of  the  hoof  are  disorganized,  and  an  ulceration  is  estab- 
lished between  the    hoof  and  the  fleshy  sole.     A  purulent  fetid  matter  is 
exuded  from  the  cavit).     The  extent  of  the  separation  daily  increases,  and 
the  ulcers  also  form  sinuses  deep  into  the  fleshy  sole.     The  bottom  of  the 
hoof  disappears,  eaten  away  by  tlie  acrid  matter,  and  the  outer  walls,  en- 
tirely separated  from  the  flesh,  hang  only  by  their  attachments  at  the  coro- 
net.    The  whole  fleshy  sole  is  now   entirely  disorganized,  and  the  entire 
foot  is  a  mass  of  black,  putrid  ulceration  ;  or,  as  it  more  commonly  hap- 
pens, the  fly  has  struck  it,  and  a  dense  mass  of  writhing  maggots  cover  the 
Burface,  and  burrow  in  every  cavity.     The  fore-feet  are  generally  first  at- 
tacked, and  most  usually  but  one  of  them.     The  animal  at  first  manifests 
but  little  constitutional  disturbance.     It  eats  as  usual.     By  the   time  that 
any  considerable  disorganization  of  the  structures  has  taken  place  in  the 
first  foot — sometimes  sooner — the  other   fore-foot  is  attacked.     That  be- 
coming as  lame  as  the  first,  the  miserable  animal   seeks  its  food  on  its 
knees,  and  if  forced  to  rise,  its  strange,  hobbling  gait  betrays   the  intense 
agony  occasioned  by  bringing  its  feet  in  contact  with  the  ground.     There 
is  a  bare  spot  under  the  brisket  of  the  size  of  the  palm  of  a  man's  hand, 
which  looks  red  and  inflamed.     There  is  a  degree  of  general  fever — and 
the  appetite  is  dull.    The  animal  rapidly  loses  condition.    The  appearance 
of  the  maggot  soon  closes  the  scene.     "Where  the  rotten  foot  is  broutrht  in 
contact  with  the  side  in  lying  down,  the  filthy  ulcerous  matter  adheres  to  and 
saturates  the  short  wool,  (it  being  but  a  month  and  a  half  or  two  months  af- 
ter shearing,)  and   maggots  are   either  carried  there  by  the   foot,  or   they 
are  soon   generated  there.     A  black  crust   is  soon  formed   round  the  spot. 
It  is  the  decomposition   of  the   surrounding  structures,  and  innumerable 
maggots   are  at  work  below,  burrowing  into  the   intejjuments   and  mus- 
cles and  eating  up  the  miserable  animal  alive.     The  black  festering  mass 
rapidly  spreads,  and  the  poor  sufferer  perishes,  we  cannot  suppose  other- 
wise than  in  tortures  the  most  excruciating. 

Sometimes  but  one  fore-foot  is  attacked,  and  subsequently  one  or  horh 
hind  ones.  There  is  no  unifoimity  in  this  particular,  and  it  is  a  singular 
fact  that  when  two  or  even  three  of  the  feet  are  dreadfully  diseased,  the 
fourth  may  be  eTitirely  sound.  So  also  one  foot  may  be  cured,  while  ev- 
ery other  one  is  laboring  under  the  malady. 


264  SHEEP   HUSBANDRY    IN   THE    SOUTH. 

The  highly  offensive  odor  of  the  ulcerated  feet  is  so  peculiar  that  it  is 
strictly  pathognomonic  of  the  disease — and  would  reveal  its  character  to 
one  familiar  with  it,  in  the  darkest  night. 

When  the  disease  has  been  well  kept  under  during  the  first  season  of 
its  attack,  but  not  entirely  eradicated,  it  will  almost  or  entirely  disappear 
as  cold  weather  approaches,  and  does  not  manifest  itself  until  the  warm 
weather  of  the  succeeding  summer.  It  then  assumes  a  mitigated  form — 
the  sheep  are  not  rapidly  and  simultaneously  attacked — there  seems  to  be 
less  iiiHammatory  action,  constitutionally,  and  in  the  diseased  parts — the 
course  of  the  disease  is  less  malignant  and  more  tardy,  and  it  more  readi- 
ly yields  to  treatment.  If  well  kept  under  the  second  summer,  it  is  still 
milder  the  third.  A  sheep  will  occasionally  be  seen  to  limp,  but  its  con- 
dition will  scarcely  be  affected,  and  dangerous  symptoms  will  rarely  su- 
pervene. One  or  two  applications  made  during  the  summer,  in  such  a 
way,  as  I  shall  presently  describe,  that  one  thousand  sheep  can  be  sub- 
mitted to  the  treatment  in  half  a  day — with  but  a  trifle  of  labor  and  ex- 
pense— will  now  suffice  to  keep  the  disease  under.  At  this  point  a  little 
vigor  in  the  treatment  will  entirely  extinguish  the  disease. 

With  all  its  fearful  array  of  symptoms,  can  the  hoof-ail  be  cured  in  its 
Jirst  attack  on  a  flock  %  The  worst  case  can  be  promptly  cured,  as  I  know 
by  repeated  experiments.  Take  a  single  sheep,  put  it  by  itself,  and  ad- 
minister the  remedies  daily  after  the  English  fashion,  or  as  I  shall 
presently  prescribe,  and  there  is  not  an  ovine  disease  which  more  surtly 
yields  to  treatment.  But  as  already  remarked,  in  a  preceding  Letter,  in 
this  country,  where  sheep  are  so  cheap,  and  labor  in  the  summer  months 
so  dear,  it  would  out  of  the  question  for  an  extensive  flock-master  to  at- 
tempt to  keep  each  sheep  by  itself,  or  to  make  a  daily  application  of  rem- 
edies. There  is  not  a  flock-master  within  my  knowledge  who  has  ever 
pretended  to  apply  his  remedies  oftener  than  once  a  week,  or  regularly  as 
often  as  that,  and  not  one  in  ten  makes  any  separation  between  the  dis- 
eased and  healthy  sheep  of  a  flock  into  which  the  malady  has  been  once  in- 
introduced.  The  consequence  necessarily  is  that  though  you  may  cure  the 
sheep  now  diseased,  it  has  infected  or  inoculated  others — and  these  in  turn 
scatter  the  contagion,  before  they  are  cured.  There  is  not  a  particle  of 
doubt — nay,  I  know,  by  repeated  observation,  that  a  sheep  once  entirely 
cured  may  again  contract  the  disease,  and  thus  the  malady  performs  a  per- 
petual circle  in  the  flock.  Fortunately,  however,  the  susceptibility  to  con- 
tract the  disease  diminishes,  according  to  my  observation,  with  every  suc- 
ceeding attack;  and  fortunately  also,  as  already  stated,  succeeding  attacks, 
ccetcris  paribus,  become  less  and  less  virulent. 

What  course  shall  then  be  pursued  ?  Shall  the  flock-master  sacrifice 
his  sheep — shall  he  take  the  ordinary  half-way  course — or  shall  he  expend 
more  on  the  sheep  than  they  are  worth  in  attempting  to  cure  them  ]  Nei- 
ther. The  coui'se  I  would  advise  him  to  pursue,  will  appear  as  I  detail 
the  experiments  I  have  made. 

Treatment. — The  preparation  nftliefoot,  where  any  separate  individual 
treatment  is  resolved  upon — and  this  is  always  necessary,  at  least  in  bad 
cases — is  a  subject  of  no  dispute.  But  the  labor  can  be  prodigiously 
economized  by  attention  to  a  few  not  very  commonly  observed  particulars. 
Sheep  should  be  yarded  for  the  operation  immediately  after  a  rain,  if  prac- 
ticable, as  then  the  hoofs  can  be  readily  cut.  In  a  dry  time,  and  after  a 
night  which  has  left  no  dew  on  the  grass,  their  hoofs  are  almost  as  tough 
as  horn.  They  must  be  driven  through  no  mud,  or  soft  dung,  on  their 
way  to  the  yard,  which  would  double  the  labor  of  cleaning  their  feet. — 
The  yard  must  be  small,  so  they  can  be  easily  caught,  and  it  must  be  kept 


SHEEP    HUSBANDRY    IN   THE    SOUTH.  265 

well  littered  down,  so  they  shall  not  iill  their  feet  with  their  own  excre- 
ment. If  the  straw  is  wetted,  their  hooiswill  not  ol' course  dry  and  harden 
as  rapidly  as  in  dry  straw.  Could  the  yard  he  huilt  over  a  shallow,  ^rav- 
elly-hottonied  hrook,*  it  would  be  an  admirable  arrangement.  The  lioofs 
would  be  kept  so  soft  that  the  greatest  and  most  unpleasant  part  of  the  la- 
bor, as  ordinarily  performed,  w<juld  be  in  a  great  measure  saved,  and  they 
would  be  kept  free  iioni  that  dung  which  by  any  other  arrangement  will, 
more  or  less,  get  into  their  clefts. 

The  principal  operator  or  foreman  seats  himself  in  a  chair — a  couple  of 
good  knives,  a  whetstone,  the  ptiwertul  toe-nippers  (tig.  21,  Letter  XII,) 
a  bucket  of  water  with  a  couple  of  linen  rags  in  it,  and  such  medicines  as 
he  chooses  to  employ,  within  his  reach.  The  assistant  catches  a  sheej)  and 
lays  it  partly  on  its  back  and  rump,  between  the  legs  of  the  foreman,  the 
head  coming  tip  about  to  his  middle.  The  assistant  they  kneels  on  some 
straw  or  seats  himself  on  a  low  stool  at  the  hinder  extremity  of  the  sheep. 
If  the  hoofs  are  long,  and  especially  if  they  are  dry  and  tough,  the  assist- 
ant presents  each  foot  to  the  foreman,  who  shortens  the  hoof  with  the  toe- 
nippers.  If  there  is  any  filth  between  the  toes,  each  man  takes  his  rag 
from  the  bucket  of  water,  and  draws  it  between  the  toes  and  rinses  it,  un- 
til the  filth  is  removed.  Each  then  seize  their  knives,  and  the  process  of 
paring  away  the  horn  commences.  And  on  the  effectual  2^c>fo'">nance  of 
thh,  all  else  depends.  A  glance  at  the  foot  will  show  whether  it  is  the  seat 
of  the  diseased  action.  The  least  experience  cannot  fail  in  properly  set- 
tling this  question.  An  experienced  finger,  placed  on  the  back  of  the 
pastern  close  above  the  heel,  would  at  once  detect  the  local  inflammation 
(by  its  heat)  in  the  dark. 

If  the  disease  is  in  the  first  stage — i.e.  there  is  merely  an  erosion  and  ul- 
ceration of  the  cuticle  and  flesh  in  the  cleft  above  the  walls  of  the  hoof,  no 
paring  '\s  necessary.  But  if  ulceration  has  established  itself  between  the 
hoof  and  the  fleshy  sole,  the  ulcerated  parts,  be  they  more  or  less  exten- 
sive, MUST  BE    ENTIRELY    DENUDED  OF  THEIR    HORNY  COVERING,  COSt  what  it 

may  of  time  and  care.  It  is  better  not  to  wound  the  sole  so  as  to  cause  it 
to  bleed  freely,  as  the  running  blood  will  wash  off  the  subsequent  aj)plica- 
tion,  but  no  fear  of  wounding  the  sole  must  prevent  a  full  compliance  with 
the  rule  above  laid  down.  At  the  worst,  the  blood  will  stop  flowing  after 
a  little  while,  during  w^iich   time  no  application  need  be  made  to  the  foot. 

If  the  foot  is  in  the  third  stage — a  mass  of  rottenness  and  filled  with 
maggots — in  the  first  place  pour  a  little  spirits  of  turpentitie  (a  bottle  of  it, 
with  a  quill  through  the  cork,  should  be  always  ready,)  on  the  maggots 
and  most  of  them  will  immediately  decamp,  and  the  others  can  be  re- 
moved with  a  probe  or  small  stick.  Then  remove  every  particle  of  loose 
horn,  though  it  should  take  the  entire  ho(f- — and  it  will  generally  take  the 
whole  ho(jf  in  such  cases.  The  foot  should  be  now  cleansed  with  a  solu- 
tion of  chloride  of  lime,  in  the  proportion  of  one  pound  of  chloride  to  one 
gallon  of  water.  If  this  is  not  at  hand,  plunging  the  foot  repeatedly  in 
water,  just  short  of  scalding  hot,  will  answer  every  purpose.  The  great 
object  is  to  clean  the  foot  thoroughly.  If  there  are  any  considerable  fun- 
gous gianulations,  ("  proud-flesh,")  they  should  be  excised  with  a  pair  of 
scissors,  or  the  actual  cautery  (hot  iron.) 

And  n4)w  comes  the  important  question  what  constitutes  the  hest  remedy  1 
The  recommended  prescriptifins  are  innumerable.  The  fi)llowin(j"  are 
som^of  the  most  popular  ones.t     1.  4  oz.  blue  vitriol,  2  oz.  of  vcrdigiis. 


*  A  portion  of  any  little  hrook  might  bp  prepared  by  pUtniin/r  the  bottom,  and  widening  it  if  desirable. 
1  The  tiral  three  are  given  in  ihe  Aiuencun  th«'pherd,  pp.  379-80. 

2L 


266  SHEEP    HUSBANDRY   IN   THE    SOUTH. 

to  a  junk- bottle  of  wine.  2.  Spirits  turpentine,  tar  and  verdigris  in  equal 
parts.  3.  3  quarts  of  alcohol,  1  pint  spirits  of  turpentine,  1  pint  of  strong 
vinegar,  I  lb.  blue  vitriol,  1  lb.  copperas,  1^  lbs.  verdigris,  1  lb.  alum,  1  lb. 
of  saltpetre,  pounded  fine:  mix  in  a  close  bottle,  shake  every  day,  and  let  it 
stand  six  or  eight  days  before  using :  also  mix  2  pounds  of  honey  and  2 
quarts  of  tar,  which  must  be  applied  after  the  previous  compound.  "  Two 
applications  will  entirely  remove  the  disease,"  says  this  recipe,  which 
was  once,  I  believe,  hawked  about  the  country  as  a  patent  cure — being 
sold  at  five  dollars  to  each  purchaser,  he  giving  a  promise  of  inviolable  se- 
crecy !  4.  Apply  diluted  aquafortis  (nitric  acid^  with  a  feather  to  the  ul- 
cerated surface.  5.  Apply  diluted  oil  of  vitriol  (sulphuric  acid)  in  the 
same  way.  6.  Same  of  muriatic  acid.  7.  Dip  the  foot  in  tar  nearly  at 
the  boiling  point,  &c. 

After  a  thorough  trial  of  the  above  and  a  multitude  of  other  prescrip- 
tions,* I  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  in  the  first  and  second  stages  of 
the  disease — before  the  ulcers  have  formed  sinuses  into  the  sole,  and 
wholly  or  partly  destroyed  its  structure — that  no  application,  simple  or 
compound,  is  preferable  to  a  saturated  solution  of  blue  vitriol,  (sulphate  of 
copper.)  In  my  judgment,  no  beneficial  addition  can  be  made  to  it  as  a 
remedy.     Of  the  manner  of  applying  it  I  shall  speak  presently. 

In  the  third  stage,  when  the  foot  is  a  festering  mass  of  corruption,  after 
it  has  been  cleansed  as  already  directed,  it  requires  some  strong  caustic  to 
remove  the  unhealthy  granulations — the  dead  muscular  structures — and 
to  restore  healthy  action.  Lunar  caustic  I  think  preferable  to  any  other 
application,  but  it  is  too  expensive.  Mr.  Youatt  gives  a  decided  prefer- 
ence to  chloride  of  antimony,  and  I  think  him  correct.  This  is  frequently 
not  attainable  in  the  country  dt-ug-stores,  and  muriatic  acid  may  be  re- 
sorted to,  or  even  nitric  or  sulphuric  acid.  The  diseased  surface  is  touched 
with  the  caustic  (applied  with  a  swab  formed  by  fastening  a  little  tow  on 
the  end  of  a  stick,)  until  the  objects  above  pointed  out  are  obtained.  I 
have  then  usually  treated  the  foot  with  the  solution  of  blue  vitriol,  and  sub- 
sequently coated  it  over  with^ar  which  has  been  boiled,  and  is  properly 
cooled.  The  last  protects  the  raw  wound  from  dirt,  flies,  &c.  Sheep  in 
this  stage  of  the  disease  should  certainly  be  separated  from  the  main  flock, 
and  looked  to  as  often  as  once  in  three  days.  With  this  degree  of  atten- 
tion, their  cure  will  be  rapid,  and  it  is  astonishing  with  what  celerity  the 
obliterated  structures  of  the  foot  will  be  restored. 

The  ordinary  method  of  using  the  solution  of  blue  vitriol  is  to  pour  it 
from  a  botlle  with  a  quill  in  the  cork,  into  the  foot,  when  the  animal  lies 
on  its  back  between  the  opei-ators,  as  already  described.  In  this  way  a 
few  cents'  worth  of  vitriol  will  serve  for  a  large  number  of  sheep.  But 
the  method  is  imperfect,  because,  without  remarkable  care,  there  will  al- 
most always  be  some  slight  ulcerations  not  uncovered  by  the  knife — the 
passages  to  them  will  be  devious,  and  perhaps  nearly  or  quite  closed — 
and  the  solution  will  not  reach  them.  Thus  the  disease  will  only  be  tem- 
porarily suppressed,  not  cured. 

I  had  a  flock  of  sheep  a  few  years  since  which  were  in  the  second  sea- 
son of  the  disease.  Tliey  had  been  but  little  looked  to  during  the  sum- 
mer, and  as  cold  weather  was  setting  in,  many  of  them  were  consid- 
erably lame — some  of  them  quite  so.  The  snow  fell  and  they  were  brought 
into  the  yards,  limping  and  hobbling  about  deplorably.  This  sight,  so  dis- 
graceful to  me  as  a  farmer,  roused  me  into  activity.     I  bought  a  quantity 

"Mntiy  of  them  resorted  to  "Bgnirist  the  stomHch  of  my  sense,"  to  give  myself  and  others  indisputable 
ocuIhi'  proof  of  iheir  inuliliiy — or  thut  they  were  no  better  than  cheaper,  eimijler,  and  more  easily  attaia- 
able  mediciuea. 


SHEEP   HUSBANDRY   IN   THE    SOUTH.  267 

of  blue  vitriol — made  the  necessaiy  arraiip^emeiits — and  once  moi-e  took 
the  chair  as  principal  operator !  Never  were  the  feet  of  a  flock  more 
thoroughly  pared.  Into  a  large  washing  tub,  in  which  two  sheep  could 
stand  conveniently,  I  poured  a  saturated  solution  of  blue  vitiiol  and  water, 
as  hot  as  could  he  endured  In/  the  hand  even  for  a  moment.  The  licjuid  was 
about  four  inches  deep  on  the  bottom  of  the  tub,  and  was  kept  at  about 
that  depth  by  frequent  additions  of //o/ solution.  As  soon  as  a  sheep's  feet 
were  pared,  it  was  placed  in  tlie  tub  and  held  there  by  the  neck,  by  an  as- 
sistant. A  second  one  was  prepared  and  placed  beside  it.  When  tho 
third  one  was  ready,  the  Jirsf  was  taken  out,  and  so  on.    Two  sheep  were 

tlius  ctmstantly  in  thtr  tub,  and  each  remained    in  it  about  five  minutes. 

The  cure  was  perfect!  There  was  not  a  lame  shoej)  in  the  flock  durinfr 
the  winter  or  the  next  summer!  The  hot  liquid  penetrated  to  every 
cavity  of  the  foot,  and  doubtless  had  a  far  more  decisive  effect  even  on  the 
vncorered  ulcers,  than  would  have  been  jModuced  by  merelv  wetlin"-  them. 
Perhaps  tlie  lateness  of  the  season  was  also  favorable,  as  in  cold  weather 
the  ulcers  of  ordinary  virulence  discharge  no  matter  to  inoculate  the  healthy 
feet,  and  thus,  at  the  time  of  ajiplying  the  remedy,  there  are  no  cases  where 
there  has  been  inoculation  not  yet  followed  by  those  lesions  which  admit 
of  cure.  Whether  so  thorough  a  soaking  would  destroy  the  virus  in  the  in- 
oculated foot,  I  cannot  pretend  to  decide. 

I  think  that  the  vitriol  required  for  the  above  one  hundred  sheep  was 
about  twelve  pounds,  and  that  it  cost  me  fifteen  cents  per  pound.  The  ac- 
count then  would  stand  thus  : 

12  lbs.  of  vitriol  at  15  cents SI, 80 

Labor  of  3  men  one  day  each 2,25 

Total $4,05 

or  about  four  cents  per  sheep.  I  have  not  a  doubt  that  three  such  appli- 
cations at  intervals  of  a  week,  would  effectually  cure  the  disease,  as  every 
new  case  would  be  arrested  and  cured  before  it  had  time  to  inoculate 
others.  I  have  no  doubt  that  it  would  do  this  at  any  time  of  year,  and 
even  during  the  first  and  most  malignant  prevalence  of  the  contagion,  pro- 
viding THE  PARING  WAS  siKFiciENTLY  THOROUGH.  The  second  and  third 
parings  would  be  a  mere  trifle,  and  the  liquid  left  at  the  first  and  second 
applications  could  again  be  used.  Thus  sheep  could  be  cured  at  about 
twelve  cents  per  head.  This  is  vastly  cheaper  in  the  long  run  than  the 
ordinary  temporizing  meth<Kl — where  people  count  the  cost  of  a  few 
pounds  of  blue  vitriol,  but  not  their  time,  and  who  thus  keep  the  disease 
lingering  in  their  flocks  for  years.  Indeed,  if  partial  and  temporizing 
treatment  is  all  that  is  aimed  at, — if  the  flockmaster  is  content  to  simply 
keep  the  disease  under — I  can  point  out  methods  quite  as  efllcacious  as 
the  common  one  by  paring  and  applying  washes  from  a  bottle — as  ordijia- 
rily  performed — and  not  costing  a  tithe  as  much. 

Between  the  corners  of  two   sheep-pastures  (1,  2,  of  fig.  G9,)  construct 
the  dividing  fence  as  represented  in  the  cut.     A 

narrow  passage  is   thus  left  from  one  field  to  an- ^~ — : 

other.     This  passage  should  be  about  2  or  2i  feet 
wide  and  12  feet  long.     The  fence  on  each  side 


of  the  passage  should  be  an  upright  board  fence,  j 

so  that  the  space  can  be  entirely  filled  on  the  bot- 
tom with  a  flat  trough,  (the  bf)ttom   formed  of  a  { 
plank)  with  side  and  end  boards  about  five  inches 
high.     In  this  trough  place  say  a  bushel  and  a  half  or  two  bushels  of  un- 


268  SHEEP    HUSBANDRY    IN  THE    SOUTH. 

slacked  lime,*  slack  it,  and  then  fill  the  trough  nearly  full  of  water. — 
Through  this  drive  the  flock  several  times  from  one  field  to  the  other — un- 
til the  lame  ones  manifest  much  suffering.  Repeat  this  once  a  week  the 
first  summer  that  the  disease  appears,  putting  in  fresh  lime  each  time. — 
This  does  not  appear  to  cure  the  hoof-ail,  but  it  keeps  it  under  ;  the  sheep 
keep  their  condition,  and  show  little  lameness.  The  second  or  third  sum- 
mer of  the  disease,  thiee  or  four  such  applications  usually  answer  for  the 
entire  season.  Some  use  dry  slacked  lime,  as  the  same  trough-full  will 
then  answer  for  several  applications.  The  trough  in  this  case  must  have 
a  roof  over  it.  I  never  have  tried  the  last  method.  If  the  dry  lime  will 
get  sufiiciently  between  the  toes — and  it  is  said  to — it  will  answer  the 
purpose  where  it  touches  more  effectually  than  even  the  liquid,  but  it 
would  not  be  so  likely  to  penetrate  into  cavities.  Some  who  use  the  lime 
remedy,  pare  the  feet  once  pretty  thoroughly  prior  to  the  first  application, 
but  afterward  neglect  them.  Others  neglect  paring  entirely,  i.  e.  beyond 
shortening  the  toes  once  a  year,  as  is  practiced  with  all  fine-wooled  flocks. 

Fig.  70  is  an  improvement  on  the  p.    ^^ 

more  common  arrangement  exhib-    — : 

ited  in  fig.  69.  The  dotted  lines  i 
enclose  good-sized  yards  in  the  cor-  | 
ners  of  two  adjoining  pastures. —  I 
Two  drivers  can  yard  the  sheep  in  I 
one  of  these,  and  drive   the  sheep       j 

from  one   to  the  other  any  number       ' 

of    times,    without     chasing    them 
about  a  large  field.     The  labor  can 

therefore  be  performed  much  more  rapidly,  and  it  requires  less  force.  A 
couple  of  active  fellows  would  yard  and  submit  a  flock  of  two  or  three 
hundred  sheep  to  the  process  in  less  than  an  hour.  When  the  sheep  are 
first  yarded,  if  there  are  any  very  lame  ones,  draw  them  out  and  place 
them  in  one  of  the  small  pens  [a,  b.)  Their  feet  can  be  examined,  and  if 
necessary  a  little  extra  pains  taken  with  them,  by  paring,  cauterizing,  etc. 
Each  sheep  as  treated  is  put  into  the  other  small  pen,  where  it  can  be  re- 
tained until  the  flock  is  discharged,  and  then  removed  to  a  separate  pas- 
ture from  the  others,  if  considered  desirable. 

Where  two  yards  are  constructed,  as  in  fig.  70,  it  is  obvious  that  the  ar- 
rangement can  be  made  elsewhere  as  well  as  in  the  corner  of  two  fields, 
though  if  the  sheep  are  wild,  it  may  require  a  few  rods  of  wing  fence  (in 
the  place  of  the  dividing  one  between  the  fields,  as  seen  in  figures  69  and 
70,)  for  the  more  convenient  cornering  of  the  sheep  to  yaid  them.  Thus 
one  such  apparatus  might  be  made  to  conveniently  answer  for  a  whole 
farm,  though  thousands  of  diseased  sheep  were  scattered  in  different  flocks 
over  it,  and  may  be  placed  at  a  spot  where  water,  etc.  are  convenient. 

Where  lime  and  water  are  used,  the  sheep  must  be  driven  through  the 
trough  slowly  and  quietly — as  otherwise  the  lime  will  be  scattered  over 
their  wool,  into  their  eyes,  &c.  If  the  lime  is  fresh  burned  and  highly 
caustic;  it  would  l)e  likely  to  destroy  their  eyes.  Indeed,  pure  fresh-burned 
lime  sometimes  will  take  the  hair  off"  from  their  pasterns  and  shanks.  It  is 
better,  therefore,  to  use  it  when  somewhat  re-carbonized  by  exposure  to 
the  air. 

Wood  ashes  are  said  to  produce  the  same  effect  with  lime.  It  is  claimed 
that  sheep  ke}-)t  on  lands  where  the  timber  has  been  recently  burned, 
("  new  clearings,")  will  recover  from  the  hoof-ail.     Query  :  If  this  be  true 

•  To  be  added  to,  from  ti  me  to  time,  if  the  number  of  sheep  run  through  ia  large  enough  to  waste  it  mate* 
rially,  before  they  are  suflicieDtly  treated. 


SHEEP   HUSBANDRY    IN  THE    SOUTH.  269 


niifjlit  not  tlie  lyr  of  nslies,  of  the  proper  strength,  make  an  adeijuute  sub 
stitute  for  lime  ami  water  ? 

Some  Northern  farmers  drive  tlieir  sheep  over  dusty  roads  as  a  remedy 
for  hoof-ail  !  Opposed  as  it  would  seem  to  he  to  sound  theory — siidly  as 
it  is  at  variance  with  the  practice  of  foreiijn  veterinarians  who  employ 
"tow-pledgets,"  "gaiter  hoots,"  etc.,  to  exclude  all  dirt  from  the  diseased 
surface,  it  does  actually  seem  in  cases  of  ordinary  virulence — especially 
where  the  disease  is  chronic — to  dry  up  the  ulcers  and  keep  the  malady  under! 

There  is  an  important  point  to  he  regarded  in  exhihiting  remedies  for 
the  hoof-ail,  the  mention  of  which  I  have  reserved  until  now,  as  it  ccnicerns 
all  remedies  eqi/dlh/.  Many  farmers  select  rainy  weather  to  "  doctor"  the 
sheep.  Their  feet  are  then  soft,  and  it  is  therefore  on  all  accounts  good 
economy,  when  the  feet  are  to  be  pared,  and  each  separately  treated,  pro- 
vided tliey  can  be  kept  in  sheep-houses,  or  under  shelters  of  any  kind, 
until  the  rain  is  over  and  the  grass  again  dry.  If  immediately  let  out  in 
wet  grass  of  any  length,  the  vitriol  or  other  application  is  measurably 
washed  away.  This  is  avoided  by  many,  by  dipping  tlie  feet  in  warm  tar 
— an  excellent  plan  under  such  circumstances.  The  tar  is  probably  a  good 
application  at  any  time,  but  1  do  not  consider  it  necessary,  in  ordinary 
cases,  unless  the  sheep  must  be  turned  out  into  wet  giass. 

A  flock  of  sheep  which  have  been  cured  of  the  hoof-ail,  are  considered 
more  valuable  than  one  which  has  never  had  it.  They  are  far  Jess  liable 
to  contract  the  disease  from  any  casual  exposure — and  its  ravages  are  far 
less  violent  and  general  among  them. 

I  am  strongly  disposed~~to  believe  that  hoof-ail  is  propagated  in  this 
country  only  by  inoculation — the  contact  of  the  matter  of  a  diseased  foot 
with  the  integuments  lining  the  bifurcation  of  a  healthy  foot.  That  it  is 
propagated  in  some  of  those  ways  classed  under  the  ordinary  designation 
of  contagion  is  certain.  I  could  indisputably  authenticate  more  than  a 
hundred  cases,  where  the  sheep  on  a  farm,  indeed  through  a  neighbor- 
hood, had  been  notoriously  exempt  from  hoof-ail  from  the  first  settlement 
of  the  country — so  that  the  inhabitants  did  not  even  know  w-hat  the  disease 
was — until  some  diseased  flock  was  introduced  from  abroad.  It  was  so  in 
the  region  where  I  live,  and  I  well  recollect  when  a  flock  of  Saxons,  diiven 
from  a  neighboring  county,  first  introduced  it  among  our  sheep.  There 
has  not  been  a  diseased  flock  in  the  county  which  could  not  trace  it  back 
to  that  flock.  And  the  contagion  wae  spread  by  them  as  readily  on  our 
dry  hill-farms  as  on  low  and  moist  ones. 

That  it  may  be  propagated  by  inoculation  I  Inmo  by  direct  experiment 
I  have  placed  the  matter  of  diseased  feet  on  the  skin  lining  the  cleft  of  a 
healthy  foot  under  a  variety  of  circumstances — sometimes  when  that  skin 
was  in  its  ordinary  and  natural  state — sometimes  after  a  very  slight  scan- 
fication — sometimes  when  macerated  by  moisture.  The  disease  has  been 
communicated  under  each  of  these  circumstances,  and  in  a  majority  of  all 
the  instances,  amounting  to  sixteen  or  seventeen. 

That  there  is  not  even  a  supposed  or  pretended  case,  to  my  knowledge, 
on  record  where  the  disease  has  originated  spontaneously,  in  the  Northern 
States,  I  have  already  asserted.*  I  regard  Professor  Dick's  statements 
of  the  manner  in  which  the  disease  onginates,  which  I  have  quoted,!  as 
wholly  inapplicable  to  our  counfrt/  with  its  present  hreedjt  of  sheep,  and  I 
cannot  sufficiently  express  my  surprise  that  this  eminent  veterinarian 
should  nave  adopted — what  I  deem  so  unqualified  an  absurdity — the  non- 
contagion  theory. 

I  have  been  disposed  to  trace  the  propagation  of  the  disease  exclusive- 

•In  the  beginning  of  Letter  XIV.  tib. 


270  SHEEP   HUSBANDRY  IN   THE   SOUTH. 

ly  to  inoculation,  from  having  observed  on  my  own  farm  and  elsewhere, 
that  healthy  flocks  have  occupied  with  impunity  fields  adjoining  those  oc- 
cupied by  diseased  ones — an  open  board  or  rail  fence  only  separating 
them.  I  have  drawn  the  same  inference  also  from  the  manner  in  which 
the  disease  attacks  flocks.  The  whole,  or  any  considerable  number,  though 
sometimes  rapidly,  are  never  simultaneously  attacked,  as  we  should  expect 
among  animals  so  gregarious,  if  the  disease  could  be  communicated  by 
simple  contact,  inhaling  the  breath  or  other  effluvium.  But  not  having  pos- 
itive and  demonstrative  pi'oof  of  the  correctness  of  the  proposition,  I  would 
advise  no  man  to  incur  any  risks,  unnecessarily,  founded  on  this  assump- 
tion, without  first  satisfying  himself  on  the  point. 

The  matter  of  diseased  feet  is  left  on  grass,  straw,  and  other  substances, 
and  thus  is  brought  in  contact  with  the  inner  surfaces  of  healthy  feet. — 
Sheep  therefore  contract  the  disease  from  being  driven  over  the  pastures, 
yarded  on  the  straw,  &c.,  where  diseased  sheep  have  been,  perhaps  even 
days  before.  The  matter  would  probably  continue  to  inoculate  until  dried 
up  by  the  air  and  heat,  or  washed  away  by  the  rains.  The  stiff'  upright 
Btems  of  closely  mown  grass  (as  on  meadows,)  are  almost  as  well  calcu- 
lated to  receive  the  matter  of  diseased  feet,  and  deposit  it  in  the  clefts  of 
healthy  ones,  as  any  means  which  could  be  devised  artificially.  I  do  not 
consider  it  entirely  safe  to  drive  healthy  sheep  over  roads,  and  especially 
into  wasJiing-yarJs  or  shcep-Jiouscs,  where  diseased  sheep  have  been,  until 
rain  has  fallen,  or  time  has  elapsed  for  the  matter  to  dry  up.  On  the 
moist  bottom  of  a  washing-yard,  and  particularly  in  houses  or  sheds,  kept 
from  sun  and  wind,  and  rain,  this  matter  might  be  preserved  for  some  time 
in  a  condition  to  inoculate. 

Fouls. — Sheep  are  much  less  subject  to  this  disease  than  cattle,  but  are 
subject  to  it  if  kept  in  wet,  filthy  yards,  or  on  moist,  poachy  ground.  It  is 
an  irritation  of  the  integument  in  the  cleft  of  the  foot,  slightly  resembles 
incipient  hoof-ail,  and  produces  lameness.  But  it  produces  no  serious 
structural  disorganization — disappears  without  treatment — is  not  con- 
tagious— and  appears  in  the  wet  weather  of  spring  and  fall,  instead  of  the 
dry,  hot  period  of  summer  when  the  hoof-ail  rages  most.  A  little  solution 
of  blue  vitriol,  or  a  little  spirits  of  turpentine,  either  followed  by  a  coat- 
ing of  warm  tar,  promptly  cures  it. 

Goitre  or  Bronchocele. — I  never  have  seen  this  classed  among  the 
diseases  of  sheep,  but  the  "swelled  neck"  in  lambs  is,  like  the  goitre,  an 
enlargement  of  the  thyroid  glands,  and  it  is  strikingly  analogous  to,  if  not 
identical  with,  that  disease.  It  is  congenital.  The  glands  at  birth  are  from 
the  size  of  a  pigeon's  to  that  of  a  hen's  egg — though  more  elongated  and 
flattened  than  an  e^^^  in  their  form.  The  lamb  is  exceedingly  feeble, 
and  often  perishes  almost  without  ah  effort  to  suck.  Many  even  make  no 
effort  to  rise,  and  die  as  soon  as  theyai-e  dropped.  It  is  rare  that  one  lives 
— though  three  or  four  years  since,  a  lamb  in  my  flock  having  one  of  the 
thyroid  glands  enlarged,  grew  up  a  large,  healthy  sheep.  At  a  year  old, 
when  disposed  of,  the  enlarged  gland  was  of  the  size  of  a  goose-egg. 

No  inconsiderable  number  of  lambs  annually  perish  from  this  disease. — 
It  does  not  appear  to  be  an  epizootic,  though  I  think  it  more  prevalent 
some  seasons  than  others.  It  does  not  seem  to  depend  upon  the  water,  or 
any  other  natural  circumstances  of  a  region,  (as  goitre  is  usually  supposed 
to,)  as  it  may  not  prevail  in  the  same  flock  or  on  the  same  farm  once  in 
ten  years.  I  never  have  been  able  to  trace  it  to  any  particular  kind  of 
food.     That  when  it  does   appear,  it  is  induced  by  some  common  local  or 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN   THE    SOUTH.  271 


alimentary  cause,  I  am  iiuliiced  to  infer  from  the  fact  tliat  its  attacks  are 
rarely  isolated.  VV^lien  there  are  any  instances  of  it  in  a.  ilock,  tlitne  are 
usually  a  number  of  them.  1  liave  lost  lamhs  by  it  two  seasons — 
from  six  to  ten  per  cent,  of  the  whole  number.  Francis  Rotch,  Jv><q.  of 
Louisville,  UtsciTo  county,  lost  a  much  heavier  per  centage  than  this  (my 
impression  would  now  be  nearly^//?//  per  cent.)  of  his  choice  South-Down 
lambs,  a  few  years  since.  I  am  acquainted  with  various  other  instances 
where  the  loss  has  ranijed  from  ten  to  twenty  per  centum. 

When  coni^enital  goitre  has  thus  appeared  among  my  lambs,  the  ewes 
have  been  in  unusuttllif  hii^h  condidnv.  The  same  was  true  of  Mr.  Rotch'a 
ewes,  as  he  wrote  me  at  the  time.  Whether  this  coexistence  implies  caus- 
ality, I  do  not  pretend  to  decide.  High  condition  in  the  ewe  may  be  one 
of  the  inducing  cJiuses. 

Treatment. — I  know  of  no  treatment  which  will  reach  the  case.  Indeed, 
the  lamb  is  dying,  almost,  when  born — and  remedies  are  out  of  the  ques- 
tion. Should  one  having  the  disease  chance  to  live,  it  would  scarcely  be 
worth  while  to  attempt  reducing  the  enlargements  of  the  glands.  Perhaps 
keeping  the  breeding  ewes  uniformly  in  fair,  plump,  but  not  A^^/^  condi- 
tion, would  be  as  eflectual  a  preventive  as  any. 

MISCELLANEOUS  DISEASES. 

Poison  from  Eating  Laurel. — I  often  hear  of  this  from  our  drovers, 
who  take  sheep  in  the  spring  to  the  Philadelphia  and  New-Jersey  mar- 
kets, through  Northern  Pennsylvania,  on  the  Old  Red  Sandstone  formation 
of  which  the  beautiful  Kalmia  angvst'ifolia  is  abundant.  The  following 
description  of  the  effects  on  the  sheep  of  eating  this  plant,  and  the  proper 
remedial  treatment,  though,  I  confess,  not  very  satisfactory  to  me,  I  ex- 
tract entire  from  the  "  American  Shepherd,"*  as  I  have  no  experience 
whatever  in  the  premises,  and  no  better  account  within  my  reach  : 

"  Sheep  and  calves  will  often,  in  the  winter  or  spring  of  the  year,  eat  greedily  of  the 
low  Laurel  (Kalmia  angusfifolia).  The  animal  appears  to  be  dull  and  stupid,  swells  a 
httle,  and  is  constantly  gulpin"  up  a  greenish  fluid  which  it  swallows  down  ;  a  part  of  it 
will  trickle  out  of  ita  mouth,  and  discolor  its  lips.  The  plant  probably  brings  on  a  fennenla- 
tion  in  the  stomach,  and  Nature  endeavors  to  throw  ofl'  the  poison  herb  by  retching  or 
vomiting. 

Treatment. — In  the  early  stages,  if  the  greenish  fluid  be  suffered  to  escape  from  the 
Btomach,  the  animal  most  generally  recovers.  To  eftect  this,  gag  the  sheep,  which  may  be 
done  in  this  manner  :  Take  a  stick  of  the  size  of  your  wrist  and  si.x  inches  long — j)lace  it  in 
the  animal's  mouth — tie  a  string  to  one  end  of  it.  pass  it  over  the  head  and  down  to  the  other 
end,  and  there  make  it  fast.  The  fluid  will  then  run  from  the  mouth  as  fust  as  thrown  up 
from  the  stomach.     In  addition  to  this,  give  roasted  onions  and  sweetened  milk  freely." 

I  have  somewhere,  I  think,  seen  drenches  of  milk  and  castor-oil  pre- 
scribed for  sheep  poisoned  with  laurel  ;  and  I  should,  without  farther 
knowledge  of  the  subject,  consider  it  treatment  promising  better  results 
than  the  preceding. 

Sore  Face. — Sheep  feeding  on  pastures  infested  with  John's  wort 
(Hypericum  perforatum)  not  unfrequently  exhibit  an  irritation  of  the  skin 
about  the  nose  and  face,  which  causes  the  hair  to  drop  off  from  the  parts. 
The  irritation  sometimes  extends  over  the  whole  body,  though  no  such 
case  has  fallen  under  my  obsei-vation.  Mr.  Morrel  says  :t  "  If  eaten  in 
too  large  quantities,  it  produces  violent  inflammation  of  the  bowels,  and  is 
frequently  fatal  to  lambs,  and  sometimes  to  adults. " 

Treatment. — Rub  a  little  sulphur  and  lard  on  the  irritated  surface.  If 
there  are  symptoms  of  inflammation  of  the  bowels,  Mr.  Monell  prescribea 

'  American  Shepherd,  p.  361.  t  lb.  374. 


272  SHEEP   HUSBANDRY   IN  THE    SOUTH. 


tar — "  putting  it  into  the  mouth  of  the  sheep  with  a  flattened  stick." 
Abundance  of  salt  is  considered,  and  probably  truly,  a  preventive.  I 
have  a  sheep  pasture  considerably  infested  with  this  difficultly  extermi- 
nated weed,  and  I  do  not  recollect  an  instance  of  a  sheep  exhibiting  the 
effects  of  eating  it,  in  several  years.  It  is  certain  that  my  sheep  have 
plenty  of  salt,  whether  this  is  the  preventive  or  not. 

Sore  Mouth. — The  lips  of  sheep  sometimes  become  suddenly  sore  in 
the  winter,  and  swell  to  the  thickness  of  a  man's  hand.  The  malady 
occasionally  attacks  whole  flocks,  and  becomes  quite  fatal.  No  cases  of 
it  havincT  been  brought  under  my  observation,  I  am  unable  to  state 
whether,  in  accordance  with  the  popular  description,  the  lesions  are  con- 
fined to  the  lips.  I  should  fresume  not.  It  is  usually  attributed  to 
noxious  weeds  cut  with  the  hay. 

Treatment. — Mr.  Morrell  states  that  he  has  had  the  disease  in  his  flock, 
and  has  cured  it  immediately  by  smearing  the  diseased  lips  with  tar.* 

Loss  OF  Cud. — The  "loss  of  the  cud"  ranks  as  an  important  disease  in 
the  nosology  of  the  "  Cattle  Doctor,"  and  frequently  calls  forth  all  the  skill 
of  that  functionary  to  manufacture  a  ncio  cud,  which  is  placed  in  the 
mouth  of  the  animal  .as  a  substitute  for  the  one  which  was  lost  !  That 
person  must  be  little  versed  in  the  physiology  of  ruminants  who  needs  to 
be  told  that  the  accidental  loss  of  one  of  the  cuds,  in  the  process  of  re- 
mastication,  would  be  a  matter  of  no  sort  of  consequence.  The  sheep, 
as  well  as  the  cow,  not  unfrequently  nearly  or  entirely  ceases  to  ruminate, 
but  this  is  the  result,  not  the  cause,  of  disease.  It  is  diagnostic  of  all 
important  diseases,  and  when  observed,  its  warning  should  never  go  un- 
heeded. 

Hoove. — This  is  not  common,  to  any  dangerous  degree,  among  sheep, 
but  if  turned  upon  clover  when  their  stomachs  are  empty,  it  will  some- 
times ensue.  It  is  a  distention  of  the  paunch  by  gas  extricated  from 
the  fermentation  of  its  vegetable  contents,  and  evolved  more  rapidly,  or  in 
larger  quantities,  than  can  be  neutralized  by  the  natural  alkaline  secretions 
of  the  stomach.  When  the  distention  is  great,  the  blood  is  prevented 
from  circulating  in  the  vessels  of  the  rumen,  and  is  determined  to  the 
head.  The  diaphragm  is  mechanically  obstructed  from  making  its  ordi- 
nary contractions,  and  respiration,  therefore,  becomes  difficult  and  imper- 
fect. Death  soon  supervenes.  In  ordinary  cases,  gentle  but  prolonged 
drivino-  will  effect  a  cure.  Where  the  animal  appears  swelled  almost  to 
bursting,  and  is  disinclined  to  move,  it  is  better  to  at  once  open  the 
paunch.  At  the  most  protuberant  point  of  the  swelling,  on  the  left  side, 
a  little  below  the  hip  bone,  plunge  a  trochar  or  knife,  sharp  at  the  point 
and  dull  on  the  edge,  into  the  stomach.  The  gas  will  rapidly  escape,  car- 
rying with  it  some  of  the  liquid  and  solid  contents  of  the  stomach.  If  no 
measures  are  taken  to  prevent  it,  the  peristaltic  motion,  as  well  as  the 
collapse  of  the  stomach,  will  soon  cause  the  orifices  through  the  abdomen 
and  paunch  not  to  coincide,  and  thus  portions  of  the  contents  of  the  former 
will  escape  into  the  cavity  of  the  latter.  However  perfect  the  cure  of 
hoove,  these  substances  in  the  belly  will  ultimately  produce  fatal  irritation. 
To  prevent  this,  a  canula  or  little  tube  should  be  inserted  through  both 
orifices  as  soon  as  the  puncture  is  made.  Where  the  case  is  not  imminent, 
alkalies  have  been  sometimes  successfully  administered,  which  combine 

*  American  Shepherd,  p.  375. 


SHEEP   HUSBANDRY   IN   THE    SOUTH.  273 

with  the  carbonic  acid  p[as,  and  thus  at  once  reduce  its  vohime.  A  flexi- 
ble probang — or,  in  default  of  it,  a  rattan  or  grape-vine — with  a  knob  on 
the  end,  may  be  gently  forced  down  the  gullet,  and  thus  the  gas  permitted 
to  escape. 

Obstruction  of  the  Gullet,  or  "  Choking." — After  pouring  a  little 
oil  in  the  throat,  the  obstructing  substance  can  be  frequently  moved  up  or 
down  by  external  manipulation.  If  not,  it  may  usually  be  forced  down 
with  a  flexible  rod,  the  head  of  which  is  guanled  by  a  knob  or  a  little  bag 
of  flax-seed.  The  latter  having  been  dipped  in  hot  water  for  a  miiuite  or 
two,  is  partly  converted  into  mucilage,  which  constantly  exudes  thrctugh 
the  cloth,  and  protects  the  cesophagus  from  laceration.  ]^ut  little  forco 
must  be  used,  and  the  whole  ojjeration  conducted  with  the  utmost  care 
and  gentleness,  or  the  0Rsoj)hagus  will  be  so  far  lacerated  as  to  produce 
death,  although  the  obstruction  is  removed. 

Fractures. — Of  these  Mr.  Blacklock  concisely  says  : 

"  If  there  be  no  wound  of  the  8<»ft  parts,  the  bone  being  simply  broken,  the  treatment  is 
extremely  easy.  Apply  a  piece  of  wet  leather,  takins;  care  to  ease  the  limb  when  swelling 
supervenes.  When  the  swellinj;  is  consiilenihle,  ami  fever  [)re.sent,  you  can  do  no  better 
than  open  a  vein  of  the  head  or  neck,  allowing  a  quantify  of  hlood  to  escape,  ])rof)()rtioned 
to  the  size  and  condition  of  the  animal,  and  the  urgency  of  the  symptoms.  Purgatives  in 
such  cases  should  never  he  neglected.  Epsom  salts,  in  ounce  doses,  given  either  as  a  gruel 
or  a  drench,  will  be  found  to  answer  the  purpo.se  well.  If  the  broken  bones  are  kept 
steady,  the  cure  will  be  complete  in  from  three  to  four  weeks,  the  j)rocess  f)f  reunion  alwavs 
pi-oceeding  faster  in  a  young  than  in  an  old  sheep.  Should  the  soft  parts  be  injured  to  any 
extent,  or  the  ends  of  the  bone  protruding,  recovery  is  very  uncertain,  and  it  will  become  a 
question  whether  it  would  not  be  better  at  once  to  couveit  the  animal  into  mutton. " 


TREATMENT. 

Method  of  Administering  Medicine  into  the  Stomach. — The 
stomach  into  which  we  wish  to  administer  medicines,  is  the  fourth,  or 
digesting  stomach.  The  comparatively  insensible  walls  of  the  ruinen  are 
but  slightly  acted  upon,  excepting  by  doses  of  very  improper  magnitude. 
For  the  reasons  given  when  the  course  of  the  food  through  the  stomachs 
was  described,  medicine  to  reach  the  fourth  stomach  should  be  given  in  a 
state  as  near  approaching  fluidity  as  may  be.  And  even  then  it  may  be 
given  in  such  a  manner  as  to  defeat  our  object.     Mr.  Youatt  says  : 

>  "  If  the  animal  forcibly  gulps  fluids  down,  or  if  they  are  given  hastily  and  bodily  by  the 
medical  attendant,  they  will  fall  on  the  canal  at  the  base  of  the  gullet  with  considerable 
momentum,  and  force  asunder  the  pillars  and  enter  the  rumen ;  if  they  are  drank  more 
slowly,  or  administered  gently,  they  will  trickle  down  the  throat  and  glide  over  these 
pillars,  and  pass  on  through  the  maniplus  to  the  true  stomach.  " 

Method  of  Bleeding. — Bleeding  from  the  ears  or  tail,  as  is  commonly 
practised,  rarely  extracts  a  quantity  of  blood  sufficient  to  do  any  good 
where  bleeding  is  indicated.  To  bleed  from  the  eye-vein,  the  point  of  a 
knife  is  usually  inserted  near  the  lower  extremity  of  the  pouch  below  the 
eye,  pressed  down,  and  then  a  cut  made  inward  toward  the  middle  of 
the  face.  Daubenton  recommends  bleeding  from  the  angular  or  cheek 
vein, 

"  in  the  lower  part  of  the  cheek,  at  the  spot  where  the  root  of  the  fourth  tooth  is 

placed,  which  is  tlie  thifkr-st  part  of  the  cheek,  and  is  marked  on  the  external  surface  of  the 
bone  of  the  upper  jaw  bv  a  tubercle,  suflficiently  prominent  to  be  very  sensible  to  the 
finder  when   the  skin  of  the   cheek   is  touched.     This   tubercle   is  a  certain   index    to  the 

angular  vein  which  is  placed  below The  shepherd   takes   tlie  sheep   between   his 

legs ;  hifl  left  hand  more  advanced  than  his  right,  which  he  places  nnder  the  bead,  and  gi^sps 

2M 


274  SHEEP    HUSBANDRY    IN    THE    SOUTH. 


the  under  jaw  near  to  the  hinder  extremity,  in  order  to  press  the  angular  veui,  whicli  passes 
in  that  place,  to  make  it  swell ;  he  touches  the  right  cheek  at  tlie  spot  nearly  equidistant 
from  the  eye  and  mouth,  and  there  finds  the  tubercle  which  is  to  guide  him,  and  also  feels 
the  aniTular  vein  swelled  below  this  tubercle ;  he  then  makes  the  incision  from  below 
upward,  half  a  finger's  breadth  below  the  middle  of  the  tubercle. " 

When  the  vein  is  no  longer  pressed  upon,  the  bleeding  will  ordinarily 
cease.  If  not,  a  pin  may  be  passed  through  the  lips  of  the  orifice,  and  a 
lock  of  wool  tied  round  them 

For  thorough  bleeding,  the  jugular  vein  is  generally  to  be  preferred. 
The  sheep  should  be  firmly  held  by  the  head  by  an  assistant,  and  the  body 
confined  between  his  knees,  with  its  rump  against  a  wall.  Some  of  the 
wool  is  then  cut  away  from  the  middle  of  the  neck  over  the  jugular  vein, 
and  a  lio-ature,  brought  in  contact  with  the  neck  by  opening  the  wool,  is 
tied  around  it  below  the  shorn  spot  near  the  shoulder.  The  vein  will  soon 
rise.  The  orifice  may  be  secured,  after  bleeding,  as  described  in  the  pre- 
ceding method. 

As  once  before  remarked,  the  good  effects  of  bleeding  depend  almost 
as  much  on  the  rapidity  with  which  the  blood  is  abstracted,  as  on  the 
amount  taken.  This  is  especially  true  in  acute  disorders.  Blacklock 
tersely  remarks  :  "  Either  bleed  rapidly  or  bleed  not  at  all."  The  orifice 
in  the  vein,  therefore,  should  be  of  some  length,  and  I  need  not  inform 
the  least  experienced  practitioner  that  it  should  be  made  lengthwise  wth 
the  vein.  A  lancet  is  by  far  the  best  implement,  and  even  a  short-pointed 
penknife  is  preferable  to  the  bunghng  fleam. 

Another  important  rule  in  venesection  is  that,  where  indicated  at  all,  it 
should  always  be  resorted  to  as  nearly  as  possible  to  the  commencement  of 
the  malady. 

The  amount  of  blood  drawn  should  never  be  determined  by  admeasure- 
ment, but  by  constitutional  effect — the  lowering  of  the  pulse,  and  indica- 
tions of  weakness.  In  urgent  cases  as,  for  example,  apoplexy  or  cerebral 
inflammation,  it  would  be  proper  to  bleed  until   the  sheep  staggers  or 

falls. 

The  amount  of  blood  in  the  sheep  is  less,  in  comparison,  than  that  in 
the  horse  or  ox.  The  blood  of  the  horse  constitutes  about  one-eighteenth 
part  of  his  weight,  that  of  the  ox  at  least  one-twentieth,  while  the  sheep, 
in  ordinary  condition,  is  one-twenty-second.  For  this  reason,  we  should 
be  more  cautious  in  bleeding  the  latter,  especially  in  frequently  resorting 
to  it.  Otherwise,  the  vital  powers  will  be  rapidly  and  fatally  prostrated. 
Many  a  sheep  is  destroyed  by  bleeding  freely  in  disorders  not  requiring 
it,  and  in  disorders  which  did  require  it  at  the  commencement,  but  of 
which  the  inflammatory  stage  has  passed. 

The  Place  of  Feeling  the  Pulse. — The  number  of  pulsations  can  be 
determined  by  feeling  the  heart  beat  on  the  left  side.  The  femoral 
artery  passes  in  an  oblique  direction  across  the  inside  of  the  thigh,  and 
about  the  middle  of  the  thigh  its  pulsations  and  the  character  of  the  pulse 
can  be  most  readily  noted.  The  pulsations  per  minute  in  a  healthy  adult 
eheep  are  set  down  by  Gasparin  at  65,  by  Youatt  at  70,  and  by  Hurtrel 
d'Arboval  at  75.  My  own  observations  accord  most  nearly  with  those  of 
Gasparin. 

LIST  OF  MEDICINES  EMPLOYED  IN  TREATING  THE  DISEASES  OF  SHEEP. 

Ale. — In  cases  of  debility,  unaccompanied  with  fever,  a  small  amount 
of  ale  is  sometimes  found  a  good  stimulant.     It  may  be  given  to  feeble 


SHEEP   HUSBANDRY   IN   THE    SOUTH.  275 

sheep  which  have  become  unable  to  stand  from  having  been  too  lonjj  caHt 
— especially  if  they  have  laid  on  the  snow,  or  on  damp  cold  triound.  It 
is  sometimes  pfiven  in  addition  to  otlier  medicine,  in  the  place  of  the  ordi- 
nary stimulants. 

Aloes — Are  occasionally  used  as  a  purgative  in  sheep  medicine  by 
farmers,  but  their  use  is  justly  condemned  by  all  veterinarians. 

Alum — Used  as  an  astringent,  but  is  inferior  to  many  others. 

Antimony  (  The  chloride  or  butyr  of  J — the  best  caustic  to  remove  fun- 
gous gratiulations,  dead  muscular  structures,  etc.,  in  the  last  and  worst 
stage  of  hoof-ail — applied  with  a  swab  or  feather. 

Arsenic — Employed  in  the  proportion  of  half  <a  pound  to  twelve  gal- 
lons of  water,  to  cure  scab.  An  infusion  of  it  is  also  used  to  kill  ticks,  &c. 
From  its  liabiliry  to  adhere  to  vessels,  or  to  come  in  contact  with  sub- 
stances which  may  be  subsequently  eaten,  it  is  a  dangerous  remedy,  and 
one  which  I  would  never  have  employed  on  my  farm. 

Blue-Vitriol  (Sulphate  of  Copper) — Used  internally  as  a  strong  tonic, 
but  inferior  to  others.  Dissolved  in  hot  water,  and  applied  to  morbid 
sores,  an  astringent,  alterative,  and  mild  caustic,  of  the  most  admirable 
character.  It  is  superior  to  all  other  applications  in  ordinary  cases  of 
hoof-ail. 

Camphor — Used  with  oil  as  an  external  stimulant  on  swellings,  &c. 

Carraway-Seeds — Given  favorably  in  doses  of  two  or  three  drachms, 
as  a  stomachic  with  other  medicines. 

Catechu — A  valuable  astringent,  in  doses  of  half  a  drachm.  It  is  one 
of  the  ingredients  of  the  celebrated  "  sheep's  cordial,"  spoken  of  under 
the  head  of  "  diarrhea.  " 

Chalk,  Prepared,  by  its  alkaline  properties,  neutralizes  the  acidity  of 
the  stomach,  and  thus  checks  diarrhea.  It  is  a  very  valuable  remedy  in 
doses  from  half  an  ounce  to  an  ounce,  exhibited  as  directed  under  the 
head  of  "  diarrhea. " 

Corrosive  Sublimate  (Bi-cJdoride  of  Mercury) — The  most  convenient 
form  in  which  mercury  can  be  exhibited  internally.  The  proto-chhride,  or 
calomel,  from  its  great  gravity,  could  not,  w^ith  any  certainty,  be  made  to 
reach  the  fourth  stomach.  It  would  seem  that  mercury  should  be  a  use- 
ful remedy  in  several  of  the  diseases  of  sheep.  I  have  administered  it 
only  in  the  cases  specified  under  the  head  of  "  malignant  epizootic 
catarrh,"  and  then  apparently  with  some  benefit.  It  would  be  well  if  a 
series  of  careful  experiments  could  be  instituted  of  its  value  in  the  appro- 
priate ovine  diseases.  It  is  very  little  used  by  veterinariaus,  in  this  coun- 
try or  Europe.  A  solution  of  corrosive  sublimate  is  used  for  the  destruc- 
tion of  ticks,  &c.,  and  sometimes  as  a  wash  in  the  scab,  but  its  use  for 
these  purposes  is  liable  to  the  same  objections  with  that  of  arsenic. 

Digitalis  f Foxglove) — A  sedative  employed  in  most  of  the  fever 
medicines  of  the  English  veterinarians.     Dose,  one  scruple. 

Epsom  Salts  f  Sulphate  of  Magnesia) — In  doses  from  half  an  ounce 
to  one,  and  in  some  few  cases  two  ounces,  the  best  purgative  which  can, 
in  almost  every  disease,  be  administered  to  sheep. 

Gentian — Decidedly  the  best  vegetable  tonic  in  use.  Dose,  from  one 
to  two  drachms. 

Ginoer — A  stomachic  and  tonic,  given  with  almost  every  apeiient,  in 
doses  of  from  half  a  drachm  to  a  drachm.     It  prevents  griping. 

Iodine. — The  hydiiodate  of  potash  in  the  proportion  of  one  part  to 


276  SHEEP    HUSBANDRY    IN   THE    SOUTH. 

seven  or  eight  parts,  by  weight,  of  lard,  constitutes  an  ointment  which  is 
a  powerful  stimulant  to  the  absorbent  vessels,  and  therefore  is  an  excellent 
application  to  glandular  swellings,  or  to  indurated  tumors.  It  is  a  good 
application  to  the  swelled  udder  (g.  v.  J  in  garget. 

Lard — A  mild  and  gentle  purgative  in  doses  of  two  ounces.  The  basis 
of  most  ointments,  and  applied  externally  in  almost  every  case  as  an 
emollient  and  lubricant  in  the  place  of  oils. 

Lime,  Carbonate  of- — Used  as  a  caustic  to  run  flocks  of  sheep  through, 
in  the  "  hoof-ail,"  quern  vide. 

Lime,  Chloride  of- — An  excellent  antiseptic  and  disinfectant,  and  a  good 
application  to  foul  ulcers. 

Linseed-Oil — A  good  purgative  in  two  ounce  doses.  Preferable  to 
Epsom  salts  in  cases  of  great  intestinal  irritation,  but  not  otherwise. 

Mercury. — The  common  mercurial  ointment,  rubbed  down  with  five 
parts  of  lard,  for  severe  cases,  and  seven  parts  for  ordinary  cases,  ot  scab, 
is  an  effectual  cure. 

Muriatic  Acid  (Spirit  of  Salt) — Next  to  chloride  of  antimony,  the  best 
caustic  in  the  worst  stage  of  hoof-ail. 

Nitrate  of  Potash  (Nitre  or  Saltpetre) — In  doses  one  drachm,  a 
cooling  diuretic. 

Nitrate  of  Silver  (Lunar  Caustic) — Superior  to  all  other  caustics,  but 
too  expensive  for  general  use.  For  poisonous  wounds,  and  jjarticularly 
for  the  bite  of  a  mad  dog,  it  has  no  substitute. 

Nitric  Acid  (Aquafortis) — Sometimes  used  as  a  substitute  for  chloride 
of  antimony,  or  muriatic  acid,  as  a  caustic  in  hoof-ail.  Used  by  drovers, 
also,  to  harden  the  soles  of  feet  which  have  become  thin  and  tender  by 
driving.     It  is  touched  over  the  sole  with  a  feather. 

Opium — An  invaluable  sedative,  and  anti-spasmodic,  and  is  employed  in 
nearly  all  prescriptions  for  diarrhea  and  dysentary,  and  also  in  colic  drinks. 
It  is  an  important  part  of  the  "  sheeps  cordial."  It  is  commonly  used  in 
the  form  of  a  tincture,  or  laudanum.     Dose,  one  drachm. 

Pepper,  Black — Given  in  small  quantities  in  milk,  to  new-born  lambs, 
when  chilled. 

Pimento  (Allspice) — A  substitute  for  ginger,  in  the  same  doses,  but  not 
80  valuable. 

Rhubarb — Unites  the  properties  of  a  cathartic  and  subsequent  astrin- 
gent. In  small  doses  it  is  a  tonic  and  stomachic,  invigorating  the  diges- 
tion. When  the  bowels  are  relaxed  and  torpid,  and  the  stomach  in  a 
feeble  state,  it  would  seem  the  most  appropriate  purgative,  when  a  purga- 
tive is  indicated. 

•  Salt  (Muriate  of  Soda) — An  ounce  constitutes  a  purgative  ;  in  small 
quantities  a  tonic  and  stomachic.  The  necessity  of  keeping  sheep  freely 
supplied  with  salt  has  been  referred  to  under  Summer  and  Winter  Man- 
agement. 

Sulphate  of  Iron  ( Copjyeras,  or  Green  Vitriol) — Used  in  washes  for 
the  hoof-ail,  but  superseded  by  sulphate  of  copper.     Internally,  a  tonic. 

Sulphur,  Flower  of — In  doses  of  fiom  one  to  two  ounces,  a  good 
aperient.     It  is  the  basis  of  various  ointments. 

Sulphuric  Acid  (Oil  of  Vitriol) — A  powerful  caustic,  used  as  a  sub- 
stitute for  the  acids  already  alluded  to,  in  the  worst  stage  of  hoof-ail. 


SHEEP   HUSBANDRY   IN   THE    SOUTH.  277 

Spirit  of  Tar — Destroys  ma^jrots,  and  repels  the  attack  of  flies.  Flies 
will  not  approach  a  part  over  which  it  has  been  smeared. 

Tar — Is  a  valuable  application  to  the  feet,  nose,  back  of  the  horns,  &c., 
under  the  various  ciiciiinstaiici's  detailed  in  Summer  Management,  and  in 
the  treatment  of  grub  in  the  head,  hoof-ail,  &c. 

Tobacco — An  infusion  of  it  destroys  vermin,  and  also  is  a  cure  for 
scab,  qucm  ride. 

Turpentine,  Spirifs  of- — Prevents  the  attack  of  flies,  and  drives  away 
maggots.     It  is  a  useful  application  to  old  sores,  wounds,  &c. 

Verdkjris  (Acetate  of  Cofjyer) — Used  in  hoof-ail  ;  but  adds  nothing,  I 
think,  to  the  good  efl'ects  of  the  sulphate  of  copper. 

Zinc,  Carbonate  of- — Mixed  with  lard,  constitutes  a  valuable  emollient 
and  healing  ointment.  It  is  mixed  in  the  proportion  of  one  part  of  the 
carbonate,  by  weight,  to  eight  of  the  lard. 


278  SHEEP   HUSBANDRY    IN   THE    SOUTH. 


LETTER    XVII. 

SHEEPDOGS,  WOOL  DEPOTS,  &c. 

The  estimation  in  which  dogs  have  been  held  by  different  nations,  &c...The  Sheep-Pog — Buffon's 
description  of  him. .. The  (Spanish  Sheep-Dog — Origin — Introduction  into  the  United  States— Value — 
Arroganle — his  history..  .The  Hungarian  Sheep-Dog — Mr.  Paget's  description  of— probable  oiigin — I  he 
Mexican  >heep-Ooi{ — Mr.  Lyman's  description  of — Mr.  Kendall's  —  South  American  -heep-Dogs — Dar- 
win's description  of.  ..The  English  Sheep-Dog — Mr.  (lates's  description  of.  ..Mr.  Colman's...  I  he  Scotch 
i'heep-l'os— Mr.  Hoga's  account  of.. Mr.  Peters's... Necessity  of  accustoming  .-^heep  to  a  dog. ..Wool 
Depots—  '^r  Klanchard's  account  of  their  oriain — Letter  from  Mr.  Peters,  describing  their  object,  methods 
of  doin"  business,  and  advantaaes — Utility  of  these  depots — their  especial  utility  to  the  South. .  .A  correc- 
tion— Mr.  Rutlin.  ..Note  in  relation  to  Australia — Statistics  of  its  Wool  Trade  brought  down  to  1846. 

Dear  Sir : — In  all  ages  of  the  world,  and  among  nearly  all  nations, 
savage  and  civilized,*  the  dog  has  been  the  friend  and  cherished  com- 
panion of  man.  The  Egyptians  placed  him  among  their  gods.  The 
Greeks  held  him  in  the  highest  estimation.  His  figiu'e  mingles  with  that 
of  warriors  and  demi-gods  on  their  friezes ;  and  Argus,  the  dog  of 
Ulysses,  lives  as  immortal  in  the  Odyssey,  {i>ide  Book  XV II., p.  344^0  400) 
as  his  sagacious  master,  or  the  faithful  Penelope.  Alexander  the  Great 
founded  a  city  in  honor  of  a  dog !  The  Romans  treated  him  with  similar 
respect.  His  skin  covered  the  statues  of  the  sacred  Lares ;  his  figure,  as 
the  emblem  of  care  and  vigilance,  stood  at  the  feet  of  these  household 
gods — venerated  and  loved  as  the  tutelary  manes  of  departed  ancestors. 
Horace  in  his  Ode  to  Cassius  Severus  {Book  F.,  Ode  VI.,)  compares  him- 
self to  the  Molossian,  or  the  tawny  Spaitan  dog,  which  defends  the  flocks, 
and  with  ears  erect,  pursues  the  wild  beast  through  the  deep  snows.  Virgil, 
in  the  delightful  Georgics,  admonishes  the  Roman  shepherds  not  to  neglect 
the  care  of  their  dogs  : 

•'  Nee  tibi  cura  canum  fuerit  postrema  :  sed  un4 
Veloces  Spartaj  catulos,  acremque  Mulossiim, 

Pasce  sero  pingui :  nunquam,  custodibus  illis,  ' 

Nocturnum  stabulis  furem,  iiu-ursusque  luponim, 
Aut  impacatos  t.  tergo  horrebis  Ibcros." 

[Georg.  Liher  III.,  commtncing  at  lint  404. 

Thus  translated  by  Sotheby  : 

Nor  slight  thy  dogs  ;  on  whey  the  mastiffs  feed, 
Molossian  race,  and  hounds  of  Spartan  breed ; 
Beneath  their  care,  nor  wolves,  nor  thieves  by  night, 
Nor  wild  Iberian  shall  thy  fear  excite. 

These  "  Spartan  hounds, "  I  may  remark,  par  parenthesis,  are  the  ones 
spoken  of  by  Shakspeare,  in  that  glorious  description  of  the  music  of  a 
pack  in  full  cry,  and  of  the  points  of  a  hound,  in  Midsummer-Night's 
Dream : 

Hippolita. — I  was  with  Hercules,  and  Cadmus,  once. 

When  in  a  wood  of  Ciete  they  bayed  the  bear 
With  hounds  of  Sparta  :  never  did  I  hear 
Piich  gallant  chiding  ;  for,  besides  the  groves, 
The  skies,  the  fountains,  every  region  near 
Seemed  all  one  mutual  cry  :  I  never  heard 
So  musical  a  discord,  such  sweet  thunder. 

T%ettu«. — My  hounds  are  bred  out  of  the  Spartan  kind. 

So  flewed,  so  sanded;  and  iheir  heads  are  hung 
With  ears  that  sweep  away  the  morning  dew  ; 
Crook-kneed,  and  dew. lapped,  like  Thessalian  bulls; 
Slow  in  pursuit,  but  matched  in  mouth  like  bells, 
Kach  under  each.     A  cry  more  tunable 
Was  never  hallo'd  to,  nor  cheered  with  horn, 
In  Crete,  in  Sparta,  nor  in  Thessaly. 

*  The  only  exceptions  which  now  occur  to  me  are  the  Jews,  the  Hindoos,  and  the  Mahommedan  natlona 
and  tribes. 


SHEEP   HUSBANDRY  IN    THE    SOUTH.  279 


Arrian,  Pliny,  Oppian,  yElian,  and  a  host  of  other  writers  of  the  Empire, 
descant  on  the  praises  of  the  dug,  or  give  anecdotes  of  his  courage! 
strengtli,  and  fidelity. 

In  the  chivalric  ages,  he  was  the  companion  of  kniglita  and  princes the 

Boul  of  the  manly  field-sports  of  those  times.  Even  prelates  followed  him 
to  the  chase.  The  abbots  of  St.  Hubert  bred  a  celebrated  race  of  hounds. 
St.  Hubert  himself,  St.  Eustace,  and  many  others  on  the  canonized  cnlcii- 
dar,  were  keen  hunters.  "  W/nrn/pori,  "  says  the  author  of  the  "  Noble 
Art  of  Venerie,"  &c.,  j)ublished  in  IGll,  ''ire  mai/  ronceire  tliut  [hif  the 
grace  of  God)  a/l good  huntsmen  s?udl  follow  them  into  Paradise  !  "  Truly, 
a  consoling  religious  seqvitur  ! 

Scott,  in  his  beautifully  descriptive  poetry,  and  still  more  poetical  prose, 
has  given  us  a  whole  picture  gallery  of  dogs,  from  the  Middle  Ages  down. 
The  few  which  start  up  first  in  memory,  (in  my  memory,)  because,  proba- 
bly, linked  with  the  most  interesting  associations,  are  Fangs — a  genuine 
Saxon — gaunt  and  unkempt,  but  stanch  as  his  master,  Gurth,  the  son  of 
Beowulph  ;  the  noble  hound  of  Sir  Kenneth;  the  "two  dogs  of  black 
Saint  Hubert's  breed,"  that  with  Fitz-James  pursued  their  quarry  into  the 
wild  pass  of  the  Trosachs  ;  the  faithful  little  terrier,  which, 

"  on  the  dark  brow  of  the  mighty  Hellvellyn, 

The  much-loved  remains  of  her  master  defended, 
And  chased  the  hill  fox  and  the  raven  away ; " 

and  last,  not  least,  Hector  Mclntyre's  bitch  Juno,  which  stole  the  butter, 
and  broke  the  "lachramatory  from  Clochm^ben,"  of  the  glorious  old 
Antiquary.  They  stand  out  on  the  canvas  like  Landseer's  pictures.  We 
pause  to  hear  them  hark  !  It  has  often  occurred  to  me  that  Scott  omitted 
a  fine  opportunity,  indeed,  made  a  hiatus  rale  drflrndus,  in  not  introducing 
one  or  more  of  the  Alpine  spaniels — or  dogs  of  Mount  St.  Bernard — into 
his  Anne  of  Geierstein,  providing  it  could  be  done,  (on  which  point  I  am 
uninstructed,)  without  a  violent  anachronism.  When  Arthur  clung  dizzy 
and  stupefied  to  the  trunk  of  the  tree  which  hung  over  the  beetling  verge 
of  the  precipice — when  the  cry  of  the  Swiss  maiden  announced  approach- 
ing succor,  should  it  not  have  had  for  its  accompaniment  the  bayinor  of 
one  of  those  great  dogs  of  the  Alps — the  deep  and  far-heard  reverbera- 
tions of  which  so  often  calls  help  to  the  perishing  traveler,  for  miles, 
through  the  howling  storm  ]  Should  not  the  dog  of  Donnerhugel,  on  tho 
night-watch  of  Graffs-lust,  have  been  of  the  same  breed — huge,  shaggy,  arid 
daring  as  himself]  The  portrait  of  Barry,  a  Bernardine  dog  which  saved 
the  lives  of  forty  persons,  and  finally  perished  in  an  avalanche  in  guid- 
ing some  travelers  to  St.  Piene,  is  to  be  found  in  every  print-sliop.  It 
represents  him  carrj-ing  a  child  on  his  shoulders — clinging  by  his  shaggy 
hair, — which  he  found  in  the  Glacier  of  Balsore,  and  rescued  from 
approaching  death. 

Scott  is  not  the  only  modem  poet  who  has  admired  and  sung  the  praises 
of  the  dog.  And  I  do  not  recollect  the  instance  of  one,  who  has  mentioned 
him,  that  is,  the  tcell-hred  dog,  who  has  not  praised  him,  except  Byron 
in  these  moody  lines : 

"  Perchance  my  doe  will  whine  in  vain. 

Till  fed  by  stranuer  hands  ; 
But  long  ere  I  come  back  again 
Would  tear  me  where  he  stands. " 

In  his  epitaph  on  his  Newfoundland  dog,  the  noble  poet  retracted  thi.'i 
ungenerous  libel,  and  pays  one  of  the  warmest  tributes  to  the  fidelity  of 
the  dofr,  on  record. 

Volumes  of  anecdotes   of  canine  sagacity   might  be  easily   compiled. 


280' ;  SHEEP   HUSBANDRY  IN   THE    SOUTH. 


^rRe'asouiiig   pcnvers  the   dog  untlnubtedly  possesses,  quite  on  a  par  with 

•  •prdinaiy  liumanity,  if  we  may  believe  scoies  of  these  writers.     But  it  is 
fii-obab'le*  tljat  the   grandsires  of  some   of  them  "  drew  good  lovg-boxvs  at 

•  *.H»istiiios,"  and  they,  like  Hubert,  may  lay  claim  to  a  hereditary  knowledge 

iVi  the  wccipon.  It  is  to  be  feared  that  dog-stories  will  soon  be  sunk  to  a 
\\KV^Ai\\Ji>ili-stories!  The  truth  is,  the  dog  knows  enough,  and  thei-e  are 
anrhenticated  cases  enough  of  his  wonderful  sagacity,  without  having  an 
air  of  discredit  thrown  over  the  whole  of  them,  by  fanciful  exaggera- 
tions. 

The  comparative  intelligence,  and  the  comparative  value  to  man,  of  the 
different  species  of  the  dog,  would  be  very  differently  estimated  by  those 
who  have  been  placed  in  situations  to  be  particularly  benefited  by  the 
peculiar  instincts  of  this  race  or  that.  Nearly  every  species  has  some 
traits,  some  uses,  where  it  is  unequaled  by  the  others ;  and  each  in  its 
place  is  valuable.  I  do  not,  however,  mean  these  remarks,  or  any  others 
which  I  have  made  in  favor  of  the  dog,  to  apply  to  the  mongrel  tribe  of 
curs.  That  there  have  been  valuable  individuals  from  this  disreputable 
stock,  all  must  admit ;  but  the  miserable,  cowardly  and  thievish  character 
of  the  mass  of  them  has  been  proverbial  in  all  time.  Far  too  many  of 
them  are  kept  by  our  farmers  in  the  place  of  noble  and  serviceable  animals 
and  multitudes  of  them,  owned  by  idlers  and  vagabonds,  infest  the  country 
and  do  ten  times  more  mischief  to  our  flocks  tlian  diseases  and  beasts  of 

pi'ey-  

The  Shf.ep-Dog. — BufTon  thus  eloquently  describes  the  sheep-dog,*  and 
compares  his  sagacity  and  value  to  man,  with  other  racest  : 

"  This  animal,  faithful  to  Man,  will  always  preserve  a  portion  of  his  empire  and  a  degree 
of  superiority  over  other  beings.  He  reigns  at  the  head  of  his  flock,  and  makes  himself  bettei 
understood  than  the  voice  of  the  shepherd.  Safety,  order,  and  discipline  are  the  fruits  ol 
his  vigilance  and  animal.  They  are  a  people  submitted  to  his  management,  whom  he  con- 
ducts and  protects,  and  against  whom  he  never  applies  force  but  for  the  preservation  of  good 
order.  ...  If  we  consider  that  this  animal,  notwithstanding  his  ugliness,  and  his  wild 
and  melancholy  look,  is  superior  in  instinct  to  all  others;  thai  he  has  a  decided  character  in 
which  education  has  comparatively  little  share  ;  that  he  is  the  only  animal  born  perfectly 
trained  for  the  service  of  others  ;  that,  guided  by  natural  powers  alone,  he  applies  himself  to 
the  care  of  our  flocks,  a  duty  which  he  executes  with  singular  assiduity,  vigilance,  and  fidel- 
ity ;  that  he  conducts  them  with  an  admirable  intelligence,  which  is  a  part  and  portion  ol 
himself;  that  his  sagacity  astonishes  at  the  same  time  that  it  gives  repose  to  his  master, 
■while  it  requires  great  time  and  trouble  to  instruct  other  dogs  for  the  purposes  to  which  they 
are  destined  ;  if  we  reflect  on  these  facts,  we  shall  be  confirmed  in  the  opinion  that  the 
shepherd's  dog  is  the  true  dog  of  Nature,  the  stock  and  model  of  the  whole  8pecie8." 

I  shall  call  attention  to  but  a  few  of  the  most  distinguished  varieties  of 
the  sheep-dog. 

The  Spanish  Sheep-I^og. — Of  the  origin  of  this  celebrated  race,  I  do 
not  recollect  to  have  seen  anything.  I  have  observed  them  several  times 
Bpokcn  of,  latterly,  in  newspapers  and  agricultural  publications,  as  the 
same  variety  with  the  Alpine  Spaniel,  or  Bernardine  dog.  This,  I  think, 
must  be  an  error,  though  there  may  be  a  general  resemblance  between 
the  two  species.  Arrogante,  on  the  next  page,  though  a  dog  of  pro- 
dio-ious  power,  decidedly  lacks  the  massive  proportions,  both  in  body 
and  limbs,  of  several  Bernardine  dogs,  which  1  have  seen,  of  unquestiona- 


*  I  stHtPcl  DPar  the  close  of  Lptter  V.  that  there  nre  no  shepherd  dogs  larse  and  powerful  enoiiph  to  en- 
counter and  kill  wolves  and  vaaritnt  dojs.  except  the  sreiit  Sheep. dog  of  Spain,  and  that  he  iB  so  ferocious 
thflt  he  miaht  frequently  bring  hi.s  owner  into  difficulty,  and  even  endancer  human  life. — I  was  mistaken. 
f'ro.aseR  between  this  and  other  specie.^  teems  to  have  niitii>ated  the  ferocity  of  the  Spanish  dog,  and  still 
left  it  within  the?  power  of  two  to  overcome  a  wolf,  as  will  appear  horn  what  follows. 

t  Buflon's  Natural  Hisiory,  vol.  v.,  pp.  306,  31ti. 


SHEEP   HUSBANDRY   IN   THE    SOJITH.  .      '    281.. 

ble  lineage.     The  temper  and  disposition  of  the  two  species,  too,  dfeoinsto* 
me  to  be  esseiitiiilly  dittorent.  '      •    .'.  ••'. 

Mr.  Trininier,  and  various  other  foreign  writers,  sptak  in  \varm  feiAs  • 
of  the  vahie  of  the  Spanish  sheep-dot^,  for  guarding  the  miirrOt()»*\'  lloV^* 
of  that  country  from  the  attacks  of  wolves — slaying  liehind  t(i  prMfc^iV-em 
ble  and  lagging  sheep,  &c.     In  the  Memoirs  of  tlie  Pennsylvania*  A<^ryl-  ' 
tural  Society,  there    is  a  communication    from  the  well-knowji  John  rfare 
Powell,  Esq.,  of  Piiiladelphia,  from  which  the  following  are  extracts^ —  • 

"  The  first  importiitioiis  of   Mt-riiio  sheep  wore  nrcoinpanifd    by  siime  of  the  larcq  arfd 

Sowerfiil  dogs  ofSpiiin.  pussi-ssiiig  nil  llie  viiliinljit'  (■luiiactcrislics  of  tin-  Eiiiilisli  slifpln-id's 
o;;.  willi  sairacity,  fidelity  and  strength  pi'culiar  to  tlirniselves Their  ferofitv,  whea 

aroused  by  any  intruder,  their  attarhinent  to  their  own  Hock,  and  devolioii  to  their  muster 
would,  ill  tlie  uiicidlivated  parts  of  America,  make  them  an  ac(piisition  of  intiiiite  value,  by 
affording  a  defence  airainst  wolves,  which  they  readily  kill,  and  viiirrant  cur  dogu,  by  which 
our  fiocks  are  often  destroyed.  The  force  of  their  instinctive  attjichment  to  sheep,  and  iheir 
resolution  in  attacking  every  dog  which  jwsses  near  to  their  charge,  have  been  forcibly 
evinced  upon  my  farm." 

Fig.  71. 


ARROGANTE — A    SPANISH    SHEEP-DOG. 

Arrogante,  whose  portrait  is  above  given  with  admirable  fidelity,  was 
imported  from  Spain  with  a  flock  of  Merinos,  a  number  of  years  since,  by 
a  gentleman  residing  near  Bristol,  England.  His  subsequent  owner, 
Francis  Rotch,  Esq.,  of  this  State,  thus  describes  him  in  a  letter  to  me, 
which,  thousrh  not  intended  for  publication,  I  will  venture  to  make  a  iew 
extracts  from  : 

"  I  have,  a."*  von  desired,  made  yon  a  sketch  of  the  Spanish  sheep-dog  Arrogmire.  and  a 
villainnns  looking  rascal  he  is.  A  worse  connienance  1  hartUy  ever  tuiw  on  a  dnj;.'  His 
small  bl<M)<l-shot  eyes,  set  close  together,  give  him  that  sinister,  wolfish  look,  vvliii  h  i.s  most 
nnattractive  ;  but  bis  coiintenance  is  indicative  of  his  character.  There  was  nnthiiig  atl'ec- 
tionate  or  joyous  about  him.  He  never  forgave  an  injury  or  an  insult :  otfciid  him.  and  it 
was  for  life.  I  have  often  been  struck  with  his  resemblance  to  his  nation.  He  was  proud 
and  reserved  in  the  extreme,  but  not  tpjarrelsome.  Every  little  cur  would  fly  out  at  hiin, 
as  at  some  strange  animal ;  and  I  have  seen  them  fasten  for  a  moment  on  liis  heavy,  bnsiiy  tail, 
and  yet  be  would  stride  uu,  never  breaking  his  long, '  loping,' shambling  Irul.    Once  I  saw  liiin 

2N 


282  SHEEP   HUSBANDRY    IN   THE    SOUTH. 


turn,  tmd  the  retrihurioa  was  awful  !  It  was  upon  a  large,  powerful  mastiff'  we  kept  as  a 
ni'^ht-'^uard  in  the  Bank.  He  then  put  forth  his  strength,  which  proved  tremendous  !  His 
coat  h^iii"  about  him  in  thick,  loose,  matted  folds,  dirty  and  uncared-for, — so  that  I  presume 
a  do"  never  "ot  hold  of  anytliing  about  him  deeper  than  his  thick,  tough  skin,  which  was 
twice  too  lar<'e  to  fit  him  anywhere,  and  especially  around  the  neck  and  shoulders.  The 
only  fllher  evidence  of  his  luicommon  strength  which  I  had  observed,  was  the  perfect  ease 
with  which  he  threw  hnnself  over  a  high  wall  or  paling,  which  often  drew  my  attention, 
because  he  seemed  to  me  wanting  hi  that  particular  physical  development  which  we  are 
accustomed  to  consider  as  necessary  to  muscular  power.  He  was  flat-chested,  and  flat- 
eided,  with  a  somewhat  long  back  and  narrow  loin.  (My  drawing  foreshortens  his  length.) 
His  neck,  forearm  and  thigh  certainly  indicated  strength.  If  the  Spanish  wolf  and  the  dog 
ever  cohabit,  he  most  assuredly  had  in  him  such  a  cross;  the  very  effluvia  of  the  animal  be- 
trayed it.  In  all  in  which  he  differed  frtim  the  beautiful  Spanish  shepherd-dog,  he  was 
woifish  both  in  form  and  habits.*  But,  tlioiigh  no  parlor  beauty,  Arrogante  was  unnuestiou- 
ably  a  do?  of  innnense  value  to  the  mountain-shepherd.  Several  times,  he  had  met  the 
lari^e  wolf^of  the  Appenines,  and  without  aid  slain  his  antagonist.  The  shepherds  who  bred 
him  said  it  was  an  affair  of  no  <loubtful  issue,  when  he  encountered  a  wolf  single-handed. 
His  history,  after  reaching  England,  you  know." 

Some  poi-tions  of  that  history  I  cannot  resist  the  temptation  of  naiTating, 
as  illustrative  of  the  character  of  this  interesting  breed,  and  commemora- 
tive of  the  virtues  of  the  stern,  but  honest  and  dauntless  Arrogante.  If 
'  his  courage  was  tinctured  with  ferocity,  and  sometimes  instigated  by  a 
revenue,  going  a  little  beyond  the  canon  which  peimits  bad  debts  to  be 
paid  in  kind,  he  did  everything  openhi  !  He  made  no  sneakish,  cur-like 
attacks,  on  the  heels  of  his  foe.  By  him,  as  by  Robin  Hood  and  his  merry 
men — cominemorated  by  Drayton — 

"  Who  strucli  below  the  kn^e  [wasj  not  counted  then  a  man  ;" 

and  his  spring  was  always  at  the  throat  of  his  quarry.  But  he  made  not 
that  deadly  spring  until  he  gave  "  warning  fair  and  true,"  and  never  with- 
out provocation.t 

Soon  after  Arrogante's  arrival  in  England,  a  ewe  under  his  charge 
chanced  to  get  cast  in  a  ditch,  during  the  temporary  absence  of  the  Span- 
ish shepherd  who  had  accompanied  the  flock  and  dog  at  their  importation. 
An  English  shepherd,  in  a  spirit  of  vaunting,  insisted  on  relieving  the  fal- 
len sheep,  in  preference  to  having  the  absent  shepherd  called,  though 
warned  by  his  companions  to  desist.  The  stern  stranger  dog  met  him  at 
the  gate  and  also  warned  him  with  sullen  growls,  growing  more  menacing 
as  he  approached  the  sheep.  The  shepherd  was  a  powerful  and  bold  man, 
and  felt  that  it  was  too  late  now  to  retract  with  credit.  On  reaching  the 
sheep,  he  bent  carefully  forward,  with  his  eyes  on  the  dog,  which  instantly 
made  a  spring  at  his  throat.  A  quick  forward  movement  of  his  arm  saved 
his  throat,  but  the  arm  was  so  dreadfully  lacerated  that  immediate  am- 
putation became  necessary.  To  save  the  dog,  which  had  but  done  his 
duty,  as  he  had  hecn  taught  it,  from  the  popular  excitement,  he  was  ship- 
ped in  a  vessel  which  sailed  that  very  afternoon,  from  Bristol  for  America. 
He  was  sent  to  Francis  Rotch,  Esq.,  then  a  resident  of  New-Bedford. 

For  a  long  time  Arrogante  would  not  pay  the  least  attention  to  his  new 
master ;  the  voice  of  the  latter  would  scarcely  arrest  him  for  a  moment. 
After  attempting  in  vain,  for  several  weeks,  to  obtain  some  recognition  of 
mastership  from  him,  Mr.  Rotch  chained  him  securely  to  a  tree,  punished 
him  severely,  and  then,  with  not  a  few  misgivings,  released  him.  But  he 
submitted,  for  he  well  knew  that  the  punishment  came  from  his  master, 
and   afterward  gave  a  cold,  haughty  obedience  to  all  required  of  him. 

*  I  never  have  eupposeti,  from  the  several  converentions  which  I  have  had  with  Mr.  Rntrh  on  the  puh- 
iect  that  Arrogante  was  niivihinsi  less  than  a  thorough-bred  .•Spanish  ^liepherd-dot;.  Mr.  Rotch  herf  meims 
that  he  was  an  ill-favored  iiidividual  of  the  family  —  and  he  thinks  that  ihiP  viav  he  owina  lo  a  har-finister 
on  hia  escutcheon,  left  there  by  some  wolfish  gallant.  His  temper  was  even  Itss  feprocioM  than  Mr.  Powell 
de'scribes  that  of  his  Spiinish  dogs. 

*  Was  there  any  thing  wulf-likt  in  all  of  this  t 


SHEEP   HUSBANDRY   IN   THE   SOUTH.  283 

Stupid  and  apparently  slin^piiip  much  of  the  day,  noth'ing^,  hgwever, 
escaped  his  observation,  or  was  subsequently  erased  fiom  his  memory.  If 
Jed  round  a  building,  or  enclosure,  or  even  an  open  space,  at  ni<rht-fall,  in 
a  manner  to  evince  particular  desiirn,  during  the  entire  nijrht  likt;  a  senti- 
nel he  traversed  some  part  of  the  guarded  ring,  permitting  neither  man  nor 
beast  to  pass  in  or  out  from  it.  • 

Arrogante  was  a  "  temperance  man,"  of  the  straightest  sect — an  out-and-, 
out  teitotdJrr — and  if  tolerant  of  deviations  from  his  creed,  he  could  bear 
none,  from  the  sobriety  oi  \n»  practice.  Never  would  he  confess  accjuain- 
tance  with  a  drunken  man — though  the  hand  of  that  man  fed  him.  The 
bailiff,  who  usually  fed  Arroijante,  used  occasionally  to  come  home  late  in 
the  evening  a  little  "Juu,'^y\\\<\  never  could  he  in  this  condition  get  his  foot 
on  the  premises  !  The  old  man  has  plead  guilty  to  more  than  one  night's 
lodgings  on  the  ground,  in  consequence  of  Arrogante's  temperance  scru- 
ples. 

On  one  occasion  a  couple  of  sailors,  to  take  advantage  of  the  tide,  came 
unexpectedly,  and  without  giving  any  notice,  on  the  farm,  at  3  A.  M.,  to 
take  away  some  potatoes  they  had  purchased.  Arrogante  thought  it 
was  not  so  "  nominated  in  the  bond  ;"  he  forced  them  to  clamber  into  an 
empty  cart,  and  there  he  kept  them  until  morning.  They  tried  the  expe- 
riment of  putting  a  leg  over  the  side  once  or  twice,  but  were  admonished 
in  too  unequivocal  a  maniier  to  keep  quiet,  to  need  any  farther  hints. 
They  lost  the  tide,  and  were  in  great  tribulation,  but,  like  honest  fellows, 
confessed  the  fault  was  their  own. 

I  misht,  did  limits  allow,  recount  many  more  anecdotes  displaying  the 
iron  determination  and  fixed  precision  with  which  this  noble  dog  obeyed 
his  instructions  in  guarding  sheep  or  other  property  committed  to  his 
charge.  He  was  a  decided  "  strict  constructionist,"  swerving  not  from  the 
letter  of  his  commission,  and  woe  to  him  who  attempted  to  countervail  the 
tenor  of  that  commission  ! 

Drunkenness  was  destined  to  prove  as  fatal  as  it  was  detestable,  to  Arro- 
gante. A  gentleman  occupied  a  cottage  orne  by  the  sea-side,  the  lane  to 
which  ran  along  the  farm,  and  near  the  stable  which  Arrogante  made  his 
head-quarters,  when  not  on  particular  duty.  The  gentleman  wa.T  reg- 
ularly introduced  to  him,  and  warned  against  ever  provoking  him.  Re- 
turning him  home  late  one  Saturday  evening  on  horseback,  from  a  conviv- 
ial meeting,  as  he  galloped  through  the  lane,  he  met  the  dog,  and  v/an- 
tonly  struck  him  or  struck  at  him  with  a  hunting-whip.  He  was  a  large 
man,  and  rode  a  tall,  powerful  horse,  and  being  under  speed,  he  escaped 
before  the  astonished  dog  recovered  from  his  suiprise.  But  the  insulted 
blood  of  Castile  rushed  in  boiling  currents  through  the  veins  of  the  mad- 
dened Arrogante.  He  felt,  like  his  countryman  De  Leniia,  in  Epes  Sar- 
gent's tragedy  of  Velasco — 

"  Struck  like  b  meriHl !  hiiffV-tcd  !  deenided  ! 
Ppiire  not  my  lilV,  if  mcriy  thim  would  eliow, 
Tnou  ihveai  me  liack  only  whni  ibou  bast  made 
A  burden,  a  disgrace,  a  misery  !" 

But   An-ogante  felt  both  the   power  and  will   to  avenge  himself,  and  he 
resolved  on  a  bloody  retribution. 

The  next  morning  the  gentleman  was  on  his  way  to  church,  mounted  as 
before.  The  doj;  heard  and  knew  the  tread  of  his  horse,  rose  from  his  lair 
in  the  stable,  walked  to  the  road-side,  and  stood  grimly  awaiting  his  in- 
sulter.  When  the  latter  had  approached  within  a  few  yards,  Arrofjante, 
like  a  missile  projected  from  a  catapult,  met  him  in  the  an,  in  a  deadly 
spring  at  his  throat.     The  sudden  jump  and  swerve  of  the  frightened  and 


284  SHEEP   HUSBANDRY   IN   THE    SOUTH. 

very  active  horse,  saved  the  rider's  throat  and  his  life — hut  so  nan'owly 
had  he  escaped,  that  he  felt  the  gnashing  teeth  of  the  frenzied  brute 
scrape,  clown  his  dress,  where  they  came  in  contact  with  and  closed  upon 
his  watch,  tearing  it  away  with  the  adjacent  clothing.  The  horseman  fled 
for  lij^  life,  while  the  baflied  dog  vented  his  rage  on  the  gold  watch 
■which  he  had  captured,  by  chewing  it  into  atoms  !  The  cause  of  this  ter- 
rible onset  not  being  disclosed  at  the  time,  Mr.  R.,  though  convinced  from 
the  character  of  the  dog  that  he  had  not  been  the  aggressor,  felt  constrain- 
ed to  give  orders  to  have  him  shot. 

The  Hungarian  Sheep-Dog. — The  following  description  of  the  Hunga- 
rian Sheep-Dog,  occurs  in  Paget's  "  Hungary  and  Transylvania  :"* 

"  It  would  be  unjust  to  quit  the  subject  of  the  Puszta  Shepherd  witliout  making:  due  and 
honorable  mention  of  his  constant  companion  and  friend,  tlie  juhdsz-hutya — the  Hungarian 
shepherd  dog.  The  shepherd  dog  is  commonly  white,  sometimes  inclined  to  a  reddish 
brown,  and  about  the  size  of  our  Newfoundland  dog.  His  sharp  nose,  short  erect  ears, 
ehaggy  coat,  and  bushy  tail  give  him  much  the  appearanceof  a  wolf ;  indeed,  so  great  is  the 
resemblfince,  that  I  have  known  a  Hungarian  gentleman  mistake  a  wolf  for  one  of  his  own 
dogs.  Except  to  their  masters,  they  are  so  savage  that  it  is  unsafe  ibr  a  stranger  to  enter  the 
court-yard  of  a  Hungarian  cottage,  wilhoutarms.  I  speak  from  e.xperience  ;  foras  I  was  walk- 
ing through  the  yard  of  a  post-house,  where  some  of  these  dogs  were  lying  about,  apparently 
asleep,  one  of  them  crept  after  me,  and  inflicted  a  severe  wound  on  my  leg,  of  which  I  still 
bear  the  marks.  Before  I  could  turn  round,  the  dog  was  already  lar  off;  for,  like  the  wolf, 
they  bite  by  snapping,  but  never  hang  to  the  object  like  the  bull-dog  or  mastiff.  Their  saga- 
city in  driving  and  guarding  the  slieep  and  cattle,  and  their  courage  in  protecting  them  from 
wolves  and  robbers,  are  highly  praised  ;  and  the  shepherd  is  so  well  aware  of  the  value  of  a 
good  one,  that  it  is  difficult  to  induce  him  to  part  with  it." 

I  have  little  doubt  that  the  Hungarian  dogs  above  described  are  the 
descendants  of  the  Spanish  ones,  introduced  into  Hungary  with  the  Meri- 
no sheep,  though  possibly  they  may  be  somewhat  crossed  by  interbreeding 
with  the  dogs  of  the  country. 

The  Mexican  Sheep-Dog. — The  following  acccount  of  these  noble  dogs 
appears  as  a  communication  from  Mr.  J.  H.  Lyman,  in  the  third  volume  of 
the  American  Agriculturist  :t 

"  Although  Mr.  Kendall  and  some  other  writers  have  described  this  wonderful  animal  as 
a  cross  of  the  Newfoundland  dog,  such,  I  think,  cannot  be  the  fact;  on  the  contrary,  I  have 
no  doubt  he  is  a  genuine  descendant  of  the  Alpine  mastiff,  or  more  properly,  Spanish  shep- 
herd dog  introduced  by  them  at  the  time  of  the  Conquest.  He  is  only  to  be  found  in  the 
eheep-raising  districts  of  New  Mexico.  The  other  Mexican  dogs,  which  number  more  than 
a  thousand  to  one  of  these  noble  animals,  are  the  results  of  a  cross  of  everything  under  the 
6un  having  any  affinity  to  the  canine  race,  and  even  of  a  still  nobler  class  of  animals  if  Mexi- 
can stories  are  to  be  credited.  It  is  believed  in  Mexico,  that  the  countless  mongrels  of  that 
country  owe  their  origin  to  the  assistance  of  the  various  kinds  of  wolves,  mountain  cats, 
lynxes,  and  to  almost  if  not  every  class  of  four-footed  carnivorous  animals.  Be  this  as  it  may, 
those  who  have  not  seen  them  can  believe  as  much  as  they  like  ;  but  eye-witnesses  can  assert, 
that  there  never  was  a  country  Messed  with  a  greater  and  more  abundant  variety  of  misera- 
rable,  snarling,  cowardly  packs,  than  the  mongrel  dogs  of  Mexico.  That  country  of  a  surety 
would  be  the  plague-spot  of  this  beautiful  world,  were  it  not  for  the  redeeming  character  of 
the  truly  noble  shepherd  dog,  endowed  as  it  is  with  almost  human  intellect.  I  have  often 
thought,  wlien  observing  the  sagacity  of  this  animal,  that  if  very  many  of  the  human  race 
possessed  one  half  of  the  power  of  inductive  reasoning  which  seems  to  be  the  gift  of  this 
animal,  that  it  would  be  far  better  for  themselves  and  for  their  fellow-creatures. 

The  peculiar  education  of  these  dogs  is  one  of  the  most  important  and  interesting  steps 
pursued  by  the  shepherd.  His  method  is  to  select  from  a  multitude  of  pups  a  few  of  the 
healthiest  and  finest-looking,  and  to  put  them  to  a  sucking  ewe,  first  depriving  her  of  her 
own  lamb.  By  force,  as  well  as  from  a  natural  desire  she  has  to  be  relieved  of  the  con- 
tents of  her  udder,  she  soon  learns  to  look  upon  the  little  interlopers  with  all  the  affection 
she  would  manifest  for  her  own  natural  offspring.  For  the  first  few  days  the  pups  are  kept 
in  the  hut,  the  ewe  suckling  them  morning  and  evening  only ;    but  gradually,  as  she  be- 

•  Hungary  and  Transylvania,  by  John  Paget,  Esq.,  vol.  ii.,  p.  12,  et  supra.  t  Page  241. 


SHEEP   HUSBANDRY    IN    THE    SOUTH.  286 


comes  acrustoined  to  tlieir  siuht,  she  is  nllowcd  to  run  in  a  siniiU  eiulosiiro  with  thcni  until 
sho  become*  so  pei  leitly  rMtiiiliiir  wiili  tlieir  i\p|)e;iiiin(H^  as  to  liiko  tlie  oiiliie  <liiii{;o  of 
tiiem.  After  this  they  arc  foldfil  with  the  whoh-  llock  for  a  fortiii;iht  i.r  so,  they  lli'-ii  nm 
about  during  the  chiv  with  tiie  tloclt.  whicii  al'ler  ii  whih'  becomes  so  ;K(iistotiie(l  to  them,  iis 
to  be  able  to  (Ustiu^niish  llum  from  other  liou'.s — ev<-ii  from  those  ol  the  wmie  hiter  which 
have  not  been  nursed  iimon^'  thi-m.  The  .she]>herds  nsuuUy  allow  the  shil  to  keep  one  ol 
a  litter  for  her  own  purlicular  benefit  ;  the  biilauce  are  fjenerally  destroyed.  ^ 

After  the  pups  are  weiined,  they  never  leave  the  parti<  ular  drove  amoni,'  which  they  havo 
been  reared.  Not  even  the  voice  of  their  master  can  entice  them  beyond  8ij;ht  of  the  Hock  ; 
neither  hunser  or  thirst  can  do  it.  I  liave  been  cre(]it)ly  iMformed  of  an  instance  where  a 
single  dog  having  charge  i)f  a  .small  flock  of  sheep,  was  allowed  to  wander  wiih  ihem  about 
the  mountains,  while  the  shepherd  returned  to  his  village  for  a  few  days,  having  p.-rfect 
confidence  in  the  ability  of  his  dog  to  look  after  the  flock  during  his  ab.-jence,  but  with  a 
Btninge  want  of  foresight  as  to  the  provision  of  the  dog  f()r  liis  f()od.  Upon  his  return  to  the 
flock^  he  found  it  several  miles  from  where  left,  but  on  the  road  lending  to  the  village,  and 
the  poor  faithful  animal  in  the  agonies  of  death,  dying  of  starvation,  even  in  the  mid.st  of 
plenti/;  yet  the  flock  had  not  been  harmed  by  him.  A  reciprocal  alfection  exists  between 
them  which  mav  jiut  to  blush  many  of  tlie  human  fiuuily.  The  ixxir  dog  recognized 
them  only  us  brothers  and  d.'arly  loved  h  lends;  he  was  ready  at  all  times  to  lay  down 
his  life  for  them;  to  attack  not  (mly  wolves  and  mountain  cats,  with  the  confidence  of  vic- 
tory, but  eveii  the  bear,  when  there  could  be  no  hope.  Of  late  years,  when  the  shej)her(l.'» 
of  New  Mexic.)  have  suffered  so  much  fiom  Indian  marauders,  instances  have  fVe(iiieiitly 
occurred  where  the  dog  has  not  hesitated  to  attack  his  human  flics,  and  although  transfix- 
ed with  arrows,  his  indomitable  courage  and  faithfulness  have  been  such  as  to  conijiel  his 
a.ssailants  to  piu  him  to  the  earth  with  spears,  and  hold  him  there  until  dispatched  with 
stones. 

In  the  above  instance  the  starving  dog  could  have  helped  himself  to  one  of  his  tif/le  bro- 
ther lambs,  or  could  have  desertetl  the  sheep,  and  very  soon  have  readied  the  settlt  meiits 
where  there  was  fluid  for  him.  But  faithfiil  even  unto  dealh,  he  woiilil  neither  leave  nor 
molest  them,  but  followed  the  iironiiitiiigs  of  his  instinct  to  had  into  llie  .setlhineiit  ;  their 
uncousciousuess  of  his  wante  aud  slow  motions  iu  travehng  were  too  much  lor  his  exhaust- 
ing strength. 

These  shepherds  are  very  nomadic  in  character.  They  are  constantly  moving  about, 
their  camp  equipage  consisting  merely  of  a  kettle  and  a  bag  of  meal  ;  their  lodges  are  made 
in  a  few  minutes,  of  branches,  &c.,  thrown  against  cross-sticks.  They  vei-y  seldom  go  out 
in  the  day-time  with  their  flocks,  intrusting  tli.  m  entirely  with  their  dogs,  which  faithliilly 
return  them  at  niglit,  never  pcmiittiiig  any  stragglers  behind  or  lost.  iSoinPtimes  ditl'ereiit 
flocks  are  brought  into  the  same  neighborhood  owing  to  scarcity  ol  grass,  when  the  wonder- 
ful mstincts  of  the  shepherds'  dogs  are  most  beautifully  dis[ilayed  ;  and  to  my  aslo  lishment, 
who  have  been  an  eye-witness  of  such  .-ceiies.  if  two  flocks  approach  within  a  few  yards  of 
each  other,  their  respective  [iroprietors  will  place  themselves  in  the  s[iace  between  tliem, 
and  as  is  very  naturally  the  case,  if  any  adventurous  sfieep  should  endeavor  to  cross  over  to 
visit  her  neighbors,  her  dog  protector  kindly  but  firmly  leads  her  back  and  it  sometimes 
happens,  if  many  make  a  rush  and  succeid  in  joining  the  olln-r  flock,  the  dogs  uiid.-r  whose 
charge  they  are,  go  over  and  bring  them  all  out,  but,  strange  to  say,  under  such  circumstances 
they  are  never  opposed  by  the  other  dogs.  They  approacli  the  strange  sheep  only  to  prevent 
their  own  from  leaving  the  flock,  thouali  they  offer  no  a.ssistance  in  expelling  the  other  sheep. 
But  they  never  permit  sheep  not  under  canine  protection,  nor  dogs  not  in  charge  of  sheep, 
to  approach  them.  Even  the  same  dogs  which  are  so  freely  peiniitted  to  enter  their  Hocks 
in  search  of  their  own,  are  driven  away  with  iguomuiy  if  they  presume  to  ajipioach  tliem 
without  that  laudable  object  in  view. 

Many  anecdotes  could  be  related  of  the  wonderful  instinct  of  these  dojrs.  I  very  much 
doubt  if  there  are  shepherd  dogs  in  any  other  part  of  the  world  except  Spain,  equal  to  those 
of  New-Mexico  in  value.  The  famed  Scotch  and  English  dogs  sink  into  insignificance  by 
the  side  of  them.  Their  superiority  may  be  owing  to  the  peculiar  mode  of  reaiintr  them, 
but  they  are  certainly  vcrj' nfible  animals,  naturally  of  large  size,  and  highly  deserving  to  be 
introduced  into  the  United  States.  A  pair  of  them  will  easily  kill  a  wolf,  and  Hocks  under 
their  care  need  not  fear  any  common  enemy  to  be  found  in  our  country. 

J.  H.  Lyman." 

Mr.  Kendall*  speaks  of  meeting,  on  the  Grand  Praiiio, 
— a  flock  numbering  seventeen  thousand,  which  immense  herd  was  guarded  by  a  very  few 
men,  assisted  by  a  large  number  of  noble  dogs,  which  appeared  gifted  with  the  faculty  of 
keeping  them  together.  There  was  no  running  about  no  liarking  or  biting  in  their  sysieiii 
of  tactics;  or  the  contrary,  thev  were  continually  walking  up  and  down.  1  ke  faithful  senti- 
nels, on  the  outer  side  of  the  flixk,  and  should  any  shet^p  cliance  to  stray  from  its  li-llows, 
the  dog  on  duty  at  thut  particular  post,  would  walk  gently  mi,  talie  him  carefully  by  the  ear, 

•  Vol.  I.,  p.  268. 


286  SHEEP   HUSBANDRY   IN  THE    SOUTH. 

and  lead  him  back  to  the  flock.     Not  the  least  fear  did  the  sheep  manifest  at  the  appuoach 

of  these  dogs,  and  there  was  no  occasion  for  it. 

These  noble  animals  seem,  according  to  these  and  various  other  corre- 
sponding accounts  I  have  seen  of  them,  to  leave  nothing  to  desire  in  the  way 
of  a  sheep-dog,  either  for  guarding  or  managing  flocks.  They  would  be  in- 
valuable in  our  Southern  States,  to  protect  the  flocks  from  the  cur-dogs 
"which  so  often  attack  them,  and  from  the  occasional  wolves.  I  hope 
'  efforts  will  be  made  to  introduce  them  into  our  country,  and  then  they 
should  be  bred  in  the  utmost  purity. 

South  American   Sheep-Dog. — Similar  to  the  preceding  in  character 

und  habits,  are  the  sheep-dogs  to  be  found  in  various  parts  of  South  Amer- 
ica. They,  too,  are  undoubtedly  an  offshoot  from  the  Spanish  stem. 
The  following  interesting  account  of  them  is  from  Darwin's  Journal : 

"  Willie  staying  at  this  estancia  (in  Banda  Oriental),  I  was  amused  with  what  I  saw  and 
heard  of  the  shepherd  dogs  of  the  country.  When  riding,  it  is  a  common  thing  to  meet  a 
large  fltjck  of  sheep  guarded  by  one  or  two  dogs,  at  the  distance  of  some  miles  from  any 
house  or  man.  I  often  wondered  how  so  firm  a  friendship  had  been  established.  The 
method  of  education  consists  in  separating  the  puppy,  when  very  young,  from  the  bitch, 
and  In  accustoming  it  to  its  future  compHnions.  A  ewe  is  held  three  or  four  times  a  day 
for  the  little  thmg  to  suck,  and  a  nest  of  wool  is  made  for  it  in  the  sheep-pen. — At  no  tim<i 
is  it  allowed  to  associate  with  other  dogs,  or  witVi  the  children  of  the  family.  The  puppy, 
moreover,  is  generally  castrated  ;  so  that  when  grown  up,  it  can  scarcely  have  any  fieeliugs 
in  connnon  with  the  rest  of  its  kind.  From  this  education  it  has  no  wish  to  leave  the  flock, 
and  just  as  another  dog  will  defend  its  master,  man,  so  will  these  the  sheep.  It  is  amusing 
to  observe,  when  approaching  a  flock,  how  the  dog  immediately  advances  barking — and  the 
sheep  all  close  in  his  rear  as  if  round  the  oldest  ram.  These  dogs  are  also  easily  taught  to 
bring  home  the  flock  at  a  certain  time  in  the  evening.  Their  most  troublesome  fault  when 
young  is  their  desn-e  of  playing  with  the  sheep,  for  in  their  play,  they  sometimes  gallop  their 
poor  subjects  most  unmercifully.  The  shepherd  dog  comes  to  the  house  every  day  for 
some  meat,  and  immediately  it  is  given  to  him  he  skulks  away  as  if  ashamed  of  himself. 
On  these  occasions  the  house  dogs  are  very  tyrannical,  and  the  least  of  them  will  attack 
and  ])ursue  the  stranger.  The  minute,  however,  the  latter  has  reached  the  flock,  he  turns 
round  and  begins  to  bark,  and  then  all  the  house  dogs  take  very  quickly  to  their 
heels.  In  a  similar  manner  a  whole  pack  of  hungry  wild  dogs  will  scarcely  ever  (and  I  was 
told  by  some,  neverj,  venture  to  attack  a  flock  guarded  even  by  one  of  these  faithful  shephei'ds. 
The  whole  account  appears  to  me  a  curious  instance  of  the  pliability  of  the  affections  of  the 
dog  race  ;  and  yet,  whether  wild,  or  however  educated,  with  a  mutual  feeling  of  respect  and 
fear  for  those  that  are  fulfilling  their  instinct  of  association.  For  we  can  understand  on  no 
principle  the  wild  dogs  being  driven  away  by  the  single  one  with  its  flock,  except  that  they 
consider,  from  some  confused  notion,  that  the  one  thus  associated  gains  power,  as  if  in  com- 
pany with  its  own  kind.  F.  Cuvier  has  observed  that  all  animals  which  enter  into  domes- 
tication consider  Man  as  a  member  of  their  society,  and  thus  they  fulfil  their  instinct  of  asso- 
ciation. In  the  above  case  the  shepherd  dogs  rank  the  sheep  as  their  brethren  ;  and  the 
vrild  dogs,  though  knowing  that  the  individual  sheep  are  not  dogs,  but  are  good  to  eat,  yet 

Eartly  consent  to  this   view,  when  seeing  them  iu  a  flock,  with  a  shepherd  dog  at  their 
ead." 

Other  large  races  of  Sheep-Dogs. — There  are  one  or  two  fine  species 
in  France,  as  those  of  Brie,  and  Auvergne.  In  a  letter  from  G-.  W. 
Lafayette,  to  John  S.  Skinner,  Esq.,  the  latter  are  pronounced  equal  to 
the  Spanish  dogs.*  Large  powerful  races,  everywhere  possessing  the 
same  general  characteristics,  are  to  be  found  in  almost  every  country 
excepting  our  own,  where  the  fine-wooled  breeds  of  sheep  have  been  ex- 
tensively introduced.  With  a  commerce  extending  to  all  the  maritime 
nations  of  the  world,  singular  it  is  that  so  little  pains  have  been  taken  to 
introduce  them. 

The  English  Sheep-Dog. — The  following  are  portraits  of  a  Drover's  dog, 


*  See  Farmers'  Library,  Vol.  i.,  p.  465. 


SHEEP    HUSBANDRY     TN   THE    SOUTH. 


287 


and  a  Scotch  Colley  slut,  imjiortod  by  B.  Gates,  of  (Jap   Grove,  Leo  Co 
Illinois.     They  are  taken  from  Tlie  Farnler^5'  Libruiy.* 

Fig.  72. 


drover's  dog,  and  colley  slut. 

The  Drover's  dog,  or  English  sheep-dog,  or  Butcher's  dog — for  by  ail 
of  these  names  is  he  known — is  considerably  smaller  than  the  species  or 
families  heretofore  described,  but  he  is  a  larger  and  more  powerful  dog 
than  the  Colley.  Mr.  Gates,  in  the  communication  accompanying  the 
portraits,  remarks  : 

"  Much  hns  already  been  written  on  the  intelligence  of  the  Scotch  Colley.  My  opinion  is 
Uiat  the  En-zlish  '•  Butcher's  dog  "  is  no  way  lacking  on  that  point.  Any  reader  who  has 
visited  Smithfield  market  in  London,  on  Monday  or  Friday,  will,  no  doubt,  have  formed  th« 
same  opinion.  There  you  have  an  opportunity  of  seeing  a  number  of  these  useful  animals 
at  their  work.  It  would,  in  fact,  be  almost  impossible  to  conduct  this  market  viillioiit  their 
aid.  There  a  vast  number  of  different  animals  are  brought  for  sale  from  all  parts  of  the 
country,  to  supi)ly  this  great  metropolis,  and  are  collected  in  the  smallest  possible  space. 
The  difficulty  of  keepinsi  them  from  mint'ling  with  others  falls  principally  on  the  dog.  If 
one  sli[)s  awav,  or  a  piirticular  one  iswi.slied  to  be  caught,  it  i.s  jiointi-d  out  to  him,  and  is  re- 
turned back,  or  held  till  the  owner  takes  it — Uie  dog  always  holding  tli»"in  by  the  side  of  the 
head,  so  as  not  to  bruise  the  body.  By  a  word  or  motion  of  the  hand,  lln-y  will  run  over 
the  backs  of  the  sheep,  to  stop  them  or  turn  them  in  a  different  direction.  I  have  often 
admired,  with  iistouishment,  their  quick  and  intelligent  actions.  They  appear  to  read  the 
thoughts  of  their  master  by  his  coiuitenance,  for  their  eye  is  continually  on  his,  or  the  Hock. 
Nothing  else  can  attract  his  attention  wli<;ii  he  has  work  to  pcrtiirm,  and  at  times  I  have 
thought  he  acted  with  more  judgment  than  the  owner.  .  .  .  The  breed  of  "  Boxer,"  (whose 
portrait  is  above  given.)  is  sometimes  called  the  Drover's  or  Tailless  breed." 

Mr.  Colman,  in  one  of  his  Reports,  says: 

"  For  a  week  or  more  before  the  trj'st,  the  roads  leading  to  Falkink  will  be  found  crowded 
with  successive  droves  of  cattle  and  sheep,  proceeding  to  this  central  point ;  ami  it  is  ex- 
tremely curious  on  the  field  to  see  with  what  skill  and  care  the  different  i)arties  and  herds 
are  kept  tr)gether  by  themselves,     lu  this  matter  thu  shepherds  are  generally  assisted  by 

•  VoL  I.,  p.  575. 


288  ••• 


SHEEP   HUSBANDRY   IN    THE   SOUTH. 


tKeir  (loss,  which  appear  eiulovvcd  with  a  sagacity  almost  human,  and  almost  to  know  every 
iiidivicliial  lii-lnniiinir  to  their  charj^e.  They  are  sure,  with  an  inflexible  pertinacity,  to  bring 
back  a  deserter  to  the  flock." 

Mr.  T.  C.  Peters,  (now  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,)  on  liis  return  from  Europe,  a 
few  y6ars  since,  hrous^ht  over  a  Drover  and  a  Colley.  His  testimony  to 
their  extraordinary  value  will  be  found  in  the  American  Agriculturist,' vol. 
iik,  page  Iff. 

♦  ^  Fig.  73. 


HOWLAND  5( 


^'^^^U'M/h^    S^*^ 


THE    COLLET. 


The  Scotch  Shekp-Dog  or  Colley. — The  light,  active,  sagacious  Colley 
admits  of  no  superior — scarcely  of  an  equal — where  it  is  his  business 
merely  to  manage  his  flock,  and  not  to  defend  them  from  beasts  larger 
than  liiniself  Mr.  Hogg  says  that  "a  single  shepherd  and  his  dog  will 
accomplish  more  in  gathering  a  flock  of  sheep  from  a  Highland  farm  than 
twenty  shepherds  could  do  without  dogs.  Neither  hunger,  fatigue,  nor 
the  worst  treatment  will  drive  him  from  his  master's  side,  and  he  will 
follow  him  tlirough  every  hardship  without  murmur  or  repining." 

The  same  well-known  writer,  in  a  letter  in  l>lackwo()d's  Magazine,  gives 
a  most  glowing  description  of  the  qualities  of  his  Colley,  "  Sirrah."  One 
night  a  flock  of  himhs,  under  his  care,  frightened  at  something,  made 
what  we  call  in  America  a  regular  stam])e(h',  scattering  over  the  hills  in 
several  difl'erent  bodies,  "  Sirrah,"  exclaimed  Hogg  in  despair,  "  they're 
a'  awa  !  "  The  dog  dashed  off  through  the  darkness.  After  spending, 
with  his  assistants,  the  whole  night  in  a  fruitless  search  after  the  fugitives, 
Mr.  Hogg  commenced  his  return  to  his  master's  house.  Coming  to  a 
deep  ravine,  they  found  Sirrah  in  charge,  as  they  at  first  supposed,  of  one 
of  the  scattered  divisions,  but  what  was  their  joyful  surprise  to  find  that 
not  a  lamb  of  the  whole  flock  was  missing! 

Of  the  stanch  devotcdness  of   the  Colley,  under  any  and  all  circum- 


SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN   THE    SOUTH.  '     -283 


stances,  Mr.  Peters  gives,    in  the  American  Agriculturist,  the  followin<» 
characteristic  illustration,  copied  from  a  Scotch  paper: 

"  The  master  of  the  bitch  |)iirrhastHl  iit  n  fair  some  ei;,'h1?!^  shocp,  and  linvin-;  (K-rnNioii  to 
ftay  n  tiny  loiiL'i'r,  sent  tlit'in  forward  and  din-ctod  his  faithful  Coik-y  to  drive  th<*ni  homo,  a 
di!<t;iiice  of  ahoiit  17  miles.  Tlio  poor  bitch,  wluni  a  few  miles  on  the  road,  dromied  two 
whelps;  but  taithfui  to  her  clmrj^e,  sdie  drove  the  sheep  on  a  mile  or  two  f;irilii'i- — then 
ulluwiiig  them  to  stop,  slie  returned  for  her  pups,  which  she  carried  sorij^  two  WtiiJo*  iit 
advance  of  the  sheep,  and  thus  she  continued  to  do.  alteniately  carryini,'  her  rrevn  yoiiiji'  '>i|te,  • 
aud  taking;  char-re  of  the  HiK-k,  till  she  reached  home.  The  manner  of  her  acting'  on  tms 
occasion  was  gathered  by  the  shepherd  from  various  persons  who  had  observed  her  on  the 
road.  " 

The  Colleys  are  not  now  uncommon  in  the  Northern  Spates,  and  I  ^ave 
often  seen  proofs  of  their  singular  sagacity  in  collecting,  drivings  aii^ 
guarding  sheep,  and  in  catching  out  one  from  the  flock  when  directed  by 
their  masters.  I  have  often  seen  t)ne  drive  a  flock  of  fifty  or  sixty  sheep 
through  a  crowed  street,  encountering  teams,  pedestrians,  and  other  dogs* 
at  every  step — without  the  slightest  assistance. 

AccusToMtNG  THE  SuEEP  TO  THE  DoG. — It  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  a 
trained  sheep-dog  will  manage  any  strange  flock,  however  wild  and  unac- 
customed to  such  company.  The  sheep  must  be  gradually  made  acquainted 
with,  and  accustomed  to  the  dog.  They  must  know — and  they  will 
readily  learn  it — that  he  is  their  friend,  their  guardian  and  protector, 
instead  of  that  hereditary  enemy  which  their  instinct  teaches  them  to  fly 
fi-om.  A  want  of  knowledge  of  this  fact  has  frequently  led  to  disaj)point- 
ment  and  disgust,  to  a  giving  up  of  the  valuable  dog  which  it  has  cost 
pains  and  money  to  procure.  Mr.  Skinner  relates  a  ludicrous  incident  of 
Mr.  Jeflerson,  aiising  from  his  not  being  apprized  of  this  fact.  A  thoroughly 
broken  sheep-dog  had  been  sent  him  from  abroad,  and  the  great  Sage  of 
Monticello,  after  having  held  forth  ore  rotundo  to  some  visitors,  on  the 
value  of  these  dogs,  and  their  immense  convenience — nay,  their  indispens- 
ability  in  managing  flocks,  led  forth  his  guests  to  give  a  practical  exempli- 
fication of  the  qualities  of  his  dog.  At  the  word,  the  latter  made  for  the 
sheep.  The  terrified  animals  fled  in  all  directions,  some  of  them  dashing 
themselves  over  precipices  and  breaking  their  necks.  The  dog  either 
shared  the  same  fate,  or,  mortified  at  his  failure,  felt  his  pride  too  deeply 
wounded  to  return.     Mr.  Jefferson  never  recovered  him  ! 


WOOL  DEPOTS. 

Commission  merchants  who  confine  their  operations  exclusively  to  the 
sale  of  Wool,  have  opened  large  stoics  or  "  Depots,"  at  three  or  four  points 
in  the  Northern  States.  Of  the  origin  of  this  system,  Mr.  H.  Blanchard, 
of  Kinderhook,  N.  Y.,  thus  spoke  at  the  Agricultural  meeting  at  the 
Assembly  Chamber,  Albany,  Feb.  3,  1848  : 

"  From  facts  that  were  ascertained  by  Hon.  J.  P.  Beekman,  (then  President  of  the  N.  Y. 
State  .\?ricultiiral  Society,)  at  the  State  Fair  held  in  Poughkeepsie,  in  1844,  he  V>ecame  con- 
vinced that  the  growers  of  Dutchess  county,  by  reason  of  the  superior  facilities  afforded 
them  for  the  sale  of  their  fine  wools,  were  procnrinjj  from  six  to  eight  cents  per  pound  more 
than  many  wool-grovvera  in  other  sections  of  the  State  who  proiluced  the  same  quality  f>f 
wool.  The  large  quantity  of  fine  wool  growni  in  that  county,  ofiered  great  inducements  for 
maniifact\irer8  ana  purchasers  of  fine  woof  to  make  that  a  place  of  resort  to  obtain  tlioir  sup- 
plies, and  thus  a  fair  competition  was  awakened,  which  resulted  in  a  just  appreciation  of  the 
relative  value  of  their  wools,  and  remunerating  prices  to  the  fine  w<k))  grower.  Soon  after 
Dr.  B.'s  return,  the  evils  consequent  upon  the  system  of  selling  wofils  in  our  county,  as  wr-ll 
as  elsewhere,  became  a  matter  of  di.scussion  between  him  and  other  wool-growers  in  our 
vicinity  and  my8<'lf,  the  resnlt  of  which  was  a  request  from  them  that  I  would  opi-n  what 
we  now  term  a  "  Wool  Depot."  The  principles  involved  in  the  df^pot  system  are  not  new, 
it  being  conduct/^  odoq.  tbi)se  of  a  commission  business ;  but  it  is  only  the  details  and  appli- 

20 


290  SHEEP   HUSBANDRY   TN  THE    SOUTH. 

cation  of  these  principles  to  wool  when  received  direct  from  the  gi'ower,  that  had  never  be- 
fore in  this  country  been  applied  iu  the  same  discriminating  manner,  and  with  as  little 
expense  as  by  this  system." 

.♦■ 
The  objects,  and  advantages  of  the  system,  and  the  method  of  conduct- 
ing these  estabhshments  are  clearly  set  forth  in  the  following  letter  from 
my  fii^nd  Mr.  Peters,  to  whom,  as  a  keeper  of  one  of  these  Depots,  and  a 
^g^tleman  Hf  conceded  ability — as  well  as  skill,  energy  and  success 
in  this  and  in  his  other  business  operations — I  thought  it  appropriate  to 
apply  for  this  information. 

H.  S^ANDALL,  Esq.  Buffalo.  N.  Y.,  Dec.  16,  1847. 

My  Dear  Sir  :  Your  kind  favor  of  the  12th  inst.,  making  inquiries  relative  to  the  Wool 
DepolKsvsteni,  is  before  me. 

It  will  give  me  pleasure  to  answer  your  queries,  not  that  by  so  doing  I  can  add  anything 
to  the  exceeding  great  value  of  your  Letters  to  the  whole  country,  and  especially  to  the 
South  and  West — yet  from  my  own  experience  as  a  wool-grower,  and  in  the  management 
of  a, Wool  Depot  which  I  established  at  this  place  last  spring,  I  may  give  some  information 
that  will  be  useful  to  your  readers,  and  may  they  be  millions.  In  so  doing,  I  will  give  you 
Ist,  An  account  of  the  object ;  2d.  The  method  of  doing  business  ;  and  3d,  The  advantages 
of  the  Wool  Depot  system. 

The  Object. — Upon  no  sheep  is  the  wool  exactly  alike  over  the  whole  body;  nor  is  the 
wool  exactly  alike  upon  any  single  flock.  In  most  flocks  there  is  a  great  diversity — greater 
than  there  should  be  for  the  farmer's  profit.  There  is,  tlien,  a  variety  of  gi'ades  of  wool  in 
every  flock,  and  in  every  section  of  the  country  where  wool  is  grown. 

Manufacturers  first  grade  the  vi'ool ;  that  is,  sort  the  fleeces,  making  from  five  to  eight  or 
nine  different  gi-ades.  Each  fleece  is  then  opened,  and  stapled,  or  sorted  into  the  various 
grades  of  the  factory.  Some  manufactories  use  only  the  finest,  others  only  the  coarsest,  and 
others  again  use  only  one  kind  of  the  intennediate  sorts,  so  that  from  a  single  fl<jck,  I 
eokl  this  year  wool  to  five  difi'erent  manufacturers,  no  one  wanting  or  working  the  kind  that 
the  other  wanted. 

The  object  of  the  Wool  Depot  is  to  sort  and  arrange  the  wool,  that  the  manufacturer  can 
readily  obtain  the  pailicular  kind  adapted  to  his  inachiuery,  and  to  obtain  for  each  sort  ita 
fair  market  value. 

Method  of  doing  Business. — The  system  originated  with  Mr.  H.  Blanchard,  at  Kinder- 
hook,  some  three  years  ago.  Last  year,  we  sent  our  wool  to  Mr.  Blanchard,  and  during  the 
winter  I  visited  his  establishment,  and  was  so  well  satisfied  virith  the  operation  of  it,  and 
of  the  vital  importance  of  the  system  to  the  wool-growers  everywhere,  that  I  at  once  made 
arrangements  to  open  one  at  tliis  point.  I  accordingly  commenced  operations  iu  the  spi-uig, 
and  have  been  successful  beyond  my  most  sanguine  expectations. 

I  have  a  competent  and  experienced  sorter,  and  when  wool  is  sent  in,  it  is  at  once  sorted 
in  the  fleece,  each  sort  weighed,  and  entered  in  a  book  under  the  name  of  the  person  send- 
ing it.  ■  , 

I  have  adopted  Mr.  Blanchard's  method  of  sorting,  as  experience  has  shown  that  to  be  the 
best,  under  all  circumstances.  I  make,  then,  five  sorts,  taking  fiiU-blooded  Merino  for  No. 
1,  and  grading  down  to  coarse  common  wool,  which  is  No.  5.  Saxony  I  grade  into  Extra, 
Prime  I,  and  Prime  2.  Then  there  is  a  kind  of  wool  which  is  admirable  for  combing,  and 
another  kind  that  is  wanted  for  De  Laines ; — these  form  five  more  sorts,  making  thus  ten 
sorts.  But  as  there  is  such  a  difference  in  the  condition  of  wool  when  brought  into  the 
Depot,  I  usually  make  two  sorts  of  each  number.  Thus  I  have  No.  2,  and  No.  2  a.  No.  2 
is  usually  good,  but  No.  2  a  is  of  the  same  grade,  but  is  in  better  condition,  every  way  a 
choice  article,  but  still  not  fine  enough  to  go  into  a  higher  grade.  The  wool  is  actually 
worth  two  or  three  cents  per  lb.  more  than  the  other  numl)er  to  which  it  belongs,  and  but 
for  making  this  distinction,  would  not  bring  its  full  value.  When  the  wool  is  properly  sorted, 
it  is  piled  up  iu  a  manner  that  will  enable  the  purchaser  to  see  it  at  a  good  advantage ; — in- 
sured, and  held  until  the  market  requires  it.  I  make  all  my  sales  here,  and  for  cash. 
When  the  sales  are  closed,  an  account  is  made  out  and  sent  to  those  who  have  sent  me  their 
wool;  usually,  an  account  is  rendered  as  fast  as  any  part  of  a  man's  wool  is  sold.  I  have 
often  been  asked,  how  I  could  tell  whether  any  man's  wool  was  sold,  unless  the  whole  of  a 
sort  was  sold  at  a  time.  It  is  very  easy.  Suppose  A.  has  100  lbs.  of  No.  1,  and  I  have  sold 
20.000  lbs.  out  of  40.000  lbs. — that  being  the  whole  amount  in  the  Depot.  I  have  sold  one- 
half  of  each  man's  No.  1,  and  I  turn  to  A.'s  account  and  give  him  credit  for  50  lbs.  sold,  and 
so  go  through  and  credit  each  man  with  his  proportion  of  that  number  sold. 

The  charges  are,  for  receiving,  sorting,  and  selling,  one  cent  per  lb.,  and  the  in.surance — 
which  is  usunlly  about  30  cts.  on  f  100,  for  three  ninnlhs.  Cartage  from  the  dock  is  usually 
three  cetits  per  bale.     The  sacks  aie  relurued  or  sold  at  the  option  of  the  owner.     They  ai'e 


SHEEP    HUSB\NDRY    IN   THE    SOUTH.  291 

isiiiiUv  worth  atxiut  fifty  cents,  more  or  less,  according  to  tlieir  condition.  E:icli  innu's 
wool  is  carefiiUy  exnniined  ;  if  jmt  np  in  bad  order,  it  is  so  noted,  niid  a  deductJoii  made  by 
the  sorter,  to  make  it  rs  it  should  be.  So  that  it  is  uo  object  for  u  man  to  send  to  the  D{'p6t 
wool  in  a  bad  condition.  0. 

The  Advantages. — The  foregoing  farts  wotdd  sefin  to  be  so  plain*  that  it  cannot  be 
neces.*ary  to  refer  to  the  advantages.  No  man,  however,  is  more  at  the  nicrcy  of  the  spccu- 
■ator,  than  the  wool-grower.  The  very  fact  that  hi-  has  so  many  kinds  of  wool  ii^js  clii), 
preveiit.-j  him  ln>m  ascertaining  the  market  value  of  the  whole,  for  being  i|^  cominiiitiTely 
small  quantities,  he  has  not  enough,  if  ever  so  well  sorteil,  to  make  it  an  object  for  the  di^k--* 
eut  mamitactiirers  to  visit  him.  He  is  then-fore  compelled  to  sell  his  whole  clij)  at  fnfi 
price  of  his  present  quality,  and  at  prices  from  five  to  fifteen  cents  per  lb.  under  the  real 
market  value  of  his  wool.  Allow  me  to  illiistmte  by  an  e.\am])le.  A  farmer  fcs  his  wheat, 
com.  oats,  and  barley,  all  mixed,  and  carries  it  to  maiket  in  this  condition.     ^Vill  :iiu||>ody 


give  him  the  value  of  each  kind  of  grain?     On  the  contrary,  they  would  not  be  v\  inm^r  u^ 

fay  even  the  value  of  the  cheapest  kin<l.     And  yet  each  kind  by  itself  has  a  markeWalue. 
recisely  in  the  same  situation  is  the  wool-grower,  excejjt  that  he  has  no  means  of  knowing 
the  value  of  the  various  sorts  of  wool,  except  from  the  speculator. 

The  advantage  of  the  Depot  system,  then,  is.  that  there  his  wool  is  propejjy  sorted.  The 
wheat  is  sejiarated  fnim  the  corn,  the  corn  from  the  oats,  and  the  oats  from- the  barley,  and 
each  is  made  to  brin:;  its  fair  market  value.  By  having  an  extensive  corres|K)ndeiice  among 
the  manufacturers  thmughout  the  country,  I  nni  kept  constantly  advised  of  the  market ;  and 
knowing  the  jirice  of  cloth  in  the  cities,  I  am  enabled  to  know  to  a  certainty  what  the  price 
of  the  various  grades  of  wo<_)l  should  be. 

When  the  manufacturer  can  get  the  kind  of  wool  he  wants,  and  in  large  quantities,  he  is 
willing  to  pay.  and  does  pay  a  better  price  than  when  he  has  to  buy  that  which  he  does  not 
want,  to  get  the  right  sort.  It  also  equalizes  the  market,  and  brings  the  producer  and  the 
manufacturer  together,  without  being  compelled  to  pay  agents  or  sjieculators,  and  pieveula 
that  fluctuation  of  the  market  which  is  always  produced  by  speculation. 

But  there  is  another  very  great  advantage  gi-owiiig  out  of  the  system.  It  enaldes  the  wool- 
growers  in  the  various  sections  of  the  country  to  compare  wool,  and  to  know  who  has  really 
the  best  and  most  profitable  kinds  of  sheep.  It  has  been  strikingly  manifest  with  me  this 
season.  For  I  have  been  enabled  to  point  out  to  people  in  diiferent  States  West,  where 
they  could  find  the  most  profitable  sheep,  by  the  wool  which  had  been  sent  me.  And  in 
one  instance  men  had  been  over  five  huiulred  miles  after  sheep,  and  paid  high  prices,  when 
there  were  sheep  in  their  own  town  worth  double  the  money. 

There  is  no  difficulty  in  sending  wool  here  from  any  part  of  the  coimtry  bordering  upon 
the  Ohio,  or  its  tributaries.  The  expense  of  transportation  will  range  from  one  to  one  and 
a  half  cents  per  lb. — tlepending  much  upon  the  bargain  made  with  the  clipper.  I  have  re- 
ceived wool  this  year  from  all  the  \Vestem  States,  in  some  instances  as  lar  West  as  the  Mis- 
sLsfiippi  River,  and  the  average  cost  for  freight  has  been  about  one  cent  per  lb. 

It  was  urged  by  many  last  spring  that  this  city  was  not  a  good  p"int,  inasmuch  as  it  was 
not  sufficiently  central  in  its  location.  For  nothing  is  more  certain,  than  that  a  wool  Depot, 
to  be  successful,  must  be  so  located  as  to  command  a  large  amount  of  wool.  The  larger 
amount  yoti  can  concentrate  at  a  point,  the  more  rapid  and  sure  will  be  your  sales.  To  this 
city  the  products  of  the  West  namrally  tend,  and  to  this  point  the  producer  can  cfilculate  with 
great  certainty  when,  and  at  what  expense  it  will  arrive.  But  after  its  trans-shipment  here, 
expenses  accumulate,  without  any  corresponding  benefit.  Ami  it  is  peculiaily  so,  in  regard 
to  wool,  coming  as  it  often  does  in  bad  order,  sacks  torn,  broken,  and  wet. 

But  I  have  made  my  letter  ab-eady  longer  than  I  intended,  and  in  speaking  of  my  own 
Depot  have  perhaps  gone  more  into  detail  than  is  necessar\'. 

This  much  I  must  be  permitted  to  say  to  eveiy  wool-grower,  that  the  Wool  Depot  system, 
properly  conducted  and  patronized,  is  indispensable  to  ultimate  and  profitable  success. 

I  remain,  my  dear  sir. 

Ver)-  sincerely  yoiu^. 

T.  C.  Feters. 

Messrs.  Perkins  and  Brown  have  a  Depot  at  Springfield,  Mass. ;  and 
I  believe  the  establishment  of  two  or  three  others  is  in  contemplation,  by 
companies  or  individuals. 

Conducted  with  skill  and  fidelity,  there  can  be  but  little  doubt  that  these 
establishments  are  alike  beneficial  to  the  wool-grower  and  manufacturer. 
That  Mr.  Blanchard's  and  Mr.  Peters's  have  thus  far  been  so  conducted,  tliero 
is  not  the  least  doubt.  Of  the  other  I  know  nothing,  though  rcpdrt  speaks 
well  of  it.  The  design  was  not  regarded  with  much  favor,  in  the  otit- 
set,  by  many  of  our  most  extensive  wool-growers.     They  preferred  to  "  do 


292  SHEEP    HUSBANDRY    IN    THE    SOUTH. 

their  own  business,  "  and  not  "pay  the  wages  of  an  intermediate  agent. " 
But  the  advantages  derived  from  selling  the  wool  in  sorted  lots,  have  been 
found  to  far  more  than  overbalance  the  one  cent  per  pound  paid  to  the 
"  agent"  or  Depot  keeper,  and  the  system  is  rapidly  gaining  favor.  Many 
of  our  most  experienced  wool  growers  in  this  State — men  the  most  com- 
petenl  to  fayoral)ly  dispose  of  their  wool — have  sent  their  wool  to  Messrs. 

flanchar(lflmd  Peters,  and  I  have  yet  to  see  or  hear  of  the  first  person 
ho  has  been  disappointed  in  the  result. 

If  wool  Depots  are  beneficial  in  the  North,  where  the  agents  of  different 
manufacffll-ers,  and  "  speculators,"  visit  every  man's  barn  to  bid  on  his 
•wofll — and  amono-  a  class  of  growers,  too,  who,  from  long  experience,  are 
famiiiar  with  the  qualities  and  comparative  values  of  the  staple — how 
much  more  beneficial  would  they  be  to  regions  in  which  the  growers  are 
so  scattered  that  they  are  rarely  visited  by  traveling  agents — or  if  so,  not 
in  numbers  sufficient  to  produce  that  competition  which  would  f07«/>e/  them 
to  offer  the  fair  market  value  of  the  article  :  and  where,  perhaps,  in  many 
cases,  the  growers  themselves  have  not  sufficient  experience  to  determine 
the  exact  grade  of  their  own  clips,  even  supposing  them  correctly  notified 
from  time  to  time  from  abroad,  of  the  market  value  of  the  several  grades. 
The  Depot  system,  in  my  judgment,  removes  the  great  and  only  serious  obsta- 
cle to  successful  loool-growing  in  the  South. 

It  is  not  necessary  that  Depots  be  established  in  the  Southern  States,  to 
have  those  States  reap  the  full  benefit  of  the  system.  For  the  present,  and 
for  some  time  to  come,  at  least,  the  North  will  furnish  the  best  home  mar- 
ket for  fine  wools.  The  wool  therefore  must,  until  some  changes  take 
place,  come  to  the  North  before  it  is  sold ;  and  the  transportation  must  be 
equally  subtracted  from  the  avails,  whether  the  sale  is  effected  at  home  or 
at  a  Northern  wool  Depot.  Indeed,  it  would  be  better  to  store  it  in  a  De- 
pot at  Kinderhook  or  Buffalo,  than  at  Charleston  or  Nashville.  And 
this  is  for  the  reason  that  the  two  former  are  ^nuch  nearer  to,  and  can  be 
more  speedily  visited  by  the  principal  woolen  manufacturers  of  the  Uni- 
ted States,  than  the  latter.  The  New- York  or  New-England  manufac- 
turer would  be  little  likely  to  send  an  agent  to  Charleston  or  Nashville,  if 
he  could  supply  his  wants  equally  cheaply  (with  the  addition  of  cost  of 
transportation),  from  Buffalo,  Kinderhook,  or  Springfield.  And  if  supplied 
any  more  cheaply  at  the  former  places  (price  of  transportation  excepted), 
be  it  remembered,  it  would  be  so  much  unnecessarily  taken  out  of  the  j^ockct 
of  the  grower. 

Should  the  South  at  any  future  day  find  it  more  for  her  interest  to  ship 
her  wools  to  Europe,  the  above  considerations  will  cease  to  be  valid.  She 
would  then  want  Depots  as  much  as  now,  for  far  more  gain,  proportiona- 
bly,  is  made  by  sorting  wool  for  the  foreign,  than  the  American  markets. 
But  in  that  event,  the  Depots  would  assume  a  different  character,  and 
they  would  be  most  appropriately  located  at  the  port  whence  the  wools 
were  shipped. 

A  CORRECTION.— MR.  RUFFIN. 

In  the  beginnino-  of  Letter  VI.,  1  made  the  following  remark  in  relation 
to  Hon.  Edmund  Ruffin — "  He  seems  to  think  lime,  of  itself,  adequate  to 
the  full  and  permanent  amelioration  of  the  tertiary  soils." — This  remark 
was  made  on  a  somewhat  too  hasty  inspection  of  some  of  Mr.  Ruffin's  po- 
sitions in  the  Agricultural  Survey  of  South  Carolina.  Since  writing  it,  I 
have  had  the  pleasure  of  reading  for  the  first  time  Mr.  R.'s  highly  valua- 
ble work  on  Calcareous  Manures,  and  find  that  I  was  in  error  in  the  state- 
ment above  made. 


SHEEP   HUSBANDRY   IN   THE    SOUTH.  20;} 


NOTE  IN  RELATION  TO  AUdTIULiA. 


Since  the  precedinc:  Letters  were  completed,  the  exceedingly  inlerestinp 
article  from  the  (EiijTlisli)  Farmers'  Magazine,  vthich  is  published  below, 
has  met  my  eye.  It  will  be  seen  from  it  that  the  conclusions  arrived  at 
by  rae  (see  page  123,)  in  relation  to  the  vast  increase  in  the  trans-Athintic 
demand  for  wool  and  woolens,  are  in  a  rapid  course  of  ve«^(;itr#k).  I 
wrote  from  statistics  extending  down  to  1840.  In  that  yea^Re  ]Ongli% 
import  of  wool  was  forty-six  millions  of  pounds.  In  1845,  accordino-  lu 
the  subjoined  authority,  it  was  seventy-six  millions  of  pounds.|| And  this 
rapid  increase  took  place,  notwithstanding  the  vast  extension  in  the  wouk-n 
manufactures  in  other  nations,  particulnrly  in  Germany,  France,  Spain  and 
Belgium.  The  extract  given  I'rom  Waterton's  "  Cyclopa-dia  of  (Com- 
merce," asserting  the  improbability  of  a  much  greater  extension  of  the 
English  woolen  manufactures,  "unless  new  markets  shall  be  opened,"  may 
be  true.  But  new  markets  are  yet  to  spring  up  in  Central  and  Northern 
Asia,  and  even  in  Northern  Europe,  whicli  will,  in  the  aggregate,  require 
an  increase  of  woolen  manufactures  which  the  boldest  calculator  now 
scarcely  dreams  of  For  the  reasons  for  this  opinion,  see  page  123. — 
Whether  England  is  to  supply  a  greater  or  less  portion  of  this  increasing 
demand  remains  to  be  seen.  If  she  continues  as  well  prepared  as  she 
now  is  to  compete  with  other  manufacturing  nations,  doubtless  she  will 
contribute  her  full  share  to  that  supply. 

It  will  also  be  seen,  from  the  annexed  paper,  that  what  I  predicted  (see 
page  121)  in  relation  to  the  prospective  competition  (from  the  year  1840) 
in  wool-growing,  between  the  densely  populated  countries  of  Western 
Europe  and  those  in  newer  settled  regions,  wliere  land  is  cheap  and  popu- 
lation comparatively  sparse,  has  already  come  to  pass.  Spain,  and  even 
Germany,  which  in  1840  supplied  England  with  nearly  twenty-two  million 
pounds  of  wool — nearly  half  of  the  whole  import  of  the  latter — have  now 
been  driven  almost  entirely  out  of  the  English  market !  But,  says  the 
Sydney  Herald,  Germany,  Spain,  etc.,  have  renewed  the  contest  in  another 
form  :  they  have  extended  their  manufacturing  operations,  and  now  manu- 
facture their  own  wool.  Admit  this  :  but  if  German  wools  cannot  com- 
pete with  others  in  the  English  market,  which  are  brought  from  fifty  times 
the  distance,  they  cannot  compete  with  them  even  in  the  German  market, 
unless  the  latter  are  kept  out  by  duties.  The  German  manufacturer,  then, 
in  working  up  home  wools,  pays  more  for  his  raw  material  than  the  Eng- 
lish manufacturer,  and  he  cannot,  therefore,  compete  with  him  in  foreign 
markets,  nor  even  in  the  home  one,  without  a  protective  Tariff  which 
would  raise  the  price  of  the  English  to  that  of  the  German  article. — 
Tariffs  materially  enhancing  the  cost  of  the  necessaries  of  life  will  not  long 
be  tolerated  by  the  consuming  millions,  in  regions  where  civilization  has 
penetrated. 

It  seems  that  Australia  and  Van  Diemen's  Land  are  the  successful  com- 
petitors which  have  driven  Germany  and  Spain  from  the  English  wool 
market.  The  views  set  forth  by  me  in  Letter  IX.  in  relation  to  the  ad- 
vantages of  the  former  for  wool-growing  compared  with  those  of  Hungary, 
Southern  Russia,  North  and  South  America,  remain  the  same  ;  indeed,  a 
careful  review  of  my  positions  has  served  to  farther  convince  me  of  their 
correctness.  The  character  of  the  j)opulation,  and  the  better  commercial 
regulations  of  Australia,  have  given  her  a  present  advantage  over  new  ri- 
vals in  the  Old  World ;  and  America  has  not  yet  entered  the  field  of  com- 
petition. When  the  Anglo-Saxon  of  North  America  enters  the  lists  with 
the  Anglo-Saxon  of  Australia,  natural   advantages  will  not,  as  now,  be 


294  SHEEP    HUSBANDRY    IN  THE   SOUTH. 

overbalanced  by  supei"ior  energy  and  enterprise.  The  Anglo-Australian 
will,  to  say  the  least  of  it,  meet  his  full  equal  in  these  particulars.  And, 
on  the  other  hand,  there  is  not  a  rational  doubt  that  the  natural  and  other 
present  advantages  of  all  kinds  are  on  the  side  of  the  Anglo-American.  The 
portion  of  North  America  included  in  the  proper  wool-growing  zone  is 
immensely  gi-eater  tlian  in  Australia ;  our  climate,  all  things  considered — 
considerin^he  occasional  terrible  drouths  of  Australia — is  the  best;  our 
lands  are  cheaper,  and  will  certainly  average  as  good,  including  our  whole 
Atlantic  coast,  and  including  only  our  teiritory  between  the  Apalachians 
and  the  l^PJfcky  Mountains,  our  land  will  average  by  far  the  best ;  labor  is 
not  dearer  among  us;  we  are  not  a  quarter  as  distant  from  the  English 
markets  ;  the  wool  from  all  parts  of  our  immense  interior,  instead  of  be- 
ing dragged  long  and  expensive  journeys  in  "bullock  drays,"  is  already 
whirled  along  by  steam,  or  boated  on  canals  or  livers  to  the  seaboard,  at 
a  comparatively  trifling  expense.  It  would  be  difficult  to  name  a  particu- 
lar, excepting  in  the  two-cent  duty,  in  which  large  portions  of  the  United 
States  have  not  the  advantage  over  Australia  for  supplying  the  English 
wool  market,  and  in  other  European  markets  we  have  perhaps  every  ad- 
vantage over  that  Colony. 

'  The  Australian  Wool  Trade* — [By  Wm.  Westgarth,  Esq.] — The  importance  at 
present  assumed  by  the  Australian  wool  trade  in  the  lists  of  British  Cummerce,  demands 
some  degree  of  attention  in  the  history  of  an  Australian  settlement.  I  shall,  therefore,  de- 
vote the  present  chapter  to  a  short  account  of  this  branch  of  Commerce,  in  its  capacity  both 
of  ;ui  export  fi'om  the  Australian  Colonies  and  an  import  into  the  British  mai'ket. 

Ill  the  year  1836,  the  quantity  of  wool  exported  from  Sydney  amounted  to  3,700,000  lbs. 
weight.  The  proportion  for  the  Port  Philip  district,  included  in  this  amount,  could  not,  at 
so  early  a  jieriod  of  her  existence,  have  exceeded  60,000  lbs.  weight.  Five  years  afterward 
the  annual  produce  had  attained  to  1,578,000  lbs. ;  and  the  lapse  of  a  similar  period,  bring- 
ing us  down  to  the  year  1846,  exhibits  the  astonishing  quantity  of  7,400,000  Ibs.f  During 
this  interval  often  years  the  quantity  of  wool  exported  from  Sydney,  exclusive  of  any  from 
Australia  Felix,  had  increased  from  three  and  a  half  millions  to  nearly  twelve  millions  of 
pounds  weight. 

The  importation  of  wool  into  the  British  market  appears,  indeed — like  the  rise  of  the  Aus- 
tralian Colonies — to  be  but  a  bu.siness  of  yesterday,  and  one,  among  numerous  other  in- 
stances, of  the  wondei-tul  extension  of  Modern  Commerce.  In  1820,  the  quantity  imported 
was  under  ten  millions  of  pounds  weight;  in  1845,  it  had  risen  to  seventy-six  millions.  The 
proportion  from  the  Australian  Colonics  in  the  former  year  was  the  one-hundredth  part ;  it 
now  forms  neai'ly  one-half  of  the  whole  importation^  ;  and  at  the  steady  and  rapid  ratio  of 
the  present  increase  of  Australian  wool,  the  lapse  of  a  few  years  will  exhibit  a  quantity  far 
greater  than  the  united  total  of  the  wool  at  present  imported  into  Britain  from  every  quar- 
ter of  the  world.  The  following  Table  exhibits  the  respective  averages,  in  round  numbers, 
for  each  period  of  five  years  from  1826  to  1845 ;  the  numbers  representing  millions  of 
pounds  weight : 

Average  of  vears.  Foreign  Wool.         Colonial  Wool.  Total 

1826-30 25  2  27 

1831-35 34  4  38 

1836-40 44  10  54 

1841-45 36  22  58 

1846       34  30  64 

This  Table  illustrates  the  exti-aordinary  progress  of  the  colonial  production,  three-fburthf 
of  which  are  derived  from  Australia  and  Van  Diemen's  Land. 

The  periodical  public  sales  of  colonial  wool,  which  now  occupy  so  important  a  position 
among  the  commercial  occuiTences  of  the  British  Capital,  date  their  origin  only  so  lately  as 
the  year  1817.  The  prices  at  that  time,  and  for  some  subsequent  period,  were  only  from 
2d.  to  3d.  per  lb. ;  and  it  was  not  until  twelve  or  fourteen  years  afterward  that  any  important 
advance  took  place  in  the  value  of  this  commodity.     The  fine  quality  of  the  Austrahau  wool 

*  From  a  new  work  in  the  press,  on  Port  Philip. 

tThe  wools  occasionally  sent  from  Port  Philip  by  way  of  Sydney,  and  appearing  in  the  Customs'  returns 
as  Sydney  exports,  are  here  allowed  for.  The  season  or  year  is  taken  as  ending  on  the  10th  October,  as 
the  usual  date  of  3l8t  Deoemt)er  falls  in  the  midst  of  the  wool  shipments,  and  cannot  fairly  represent  the 
quantities  and  ratio  of  progress  of  each  year. 

\  In  1846,  the  relative  quantities  imponed  into  Britain  were,  in  round  numbers,  thirty-four  millions  of 
pounds  of  foreign  wool  and  thirty  millions  of  colonial.  For  the  present  year  the  colonial  may  be  safely 
assumed  at  somewhat  more  than  half  the  importation. 


SHEEP    HUSBANDRY    IN    THE    SOUTH.  295 


bepiin  soon  after  to  attract  notice,  and  in  18^5  anil  18UG  to  excite  the  attention  even  of'iopifrn 
manufacturers.  Fnmi  ve!-y  small  hej;innini:s  the  extent  <if  the  periodicni  HticLirui  isjilea 
gradiially  increased.  An  unprecedented  number  of  7.')()  hales  was  announced  lor  one  series 
of  sales  in  ISO.'i  ;  and  for  some  years  afterward  •!()()  hales  were  ronsi<!iTcd  to  form  a  very  ex- 
tensive sale.  But  in  July,  1835,  8,7^(>  hales  were  broujrht forward,  realizinf:  liir  the  Itetter 
qualities  the  considerable  rates  of  from  2s.  fid.  to  3s.  8d.  per  pound  ;  and  at  the  sales  of  the 
saofie  month  in  1841,  there  were  ex[H)sed  no  less  thiui  31,358  Dales.* 

The  celebrated  wools  of  AiLstmlia  are  derived  from  two  j)riiicipal  breeds  of  gheej).  th«^ 
Merijio  and  the  Saxon.  The  fomier  is  the  finest  in  quidity,  but  it  may  kk  douMed  if  uu 
ade<]uate  j)rice  has  been  hitherto  derived  tf>  compensate  for  the  liphtef  weiglit  of  the  He^ce. 
In  the  Sydney  district,  attention  was  chiefly  bestowed  on  the  Mermo ;  in  Viiii  Diemen's 
Land,  on  the  Saxon  ;  and  the  Port  Philip  district  received  a  share  of  both,  ^  the  colonists 
from  either  locality  transported  their  Hocks  to  her  pastures.  This  mixturtjfc"  breeds  was 
still  farther  increased  by  occsisional  cros-sies  with  the  Leicester  and  South-Down.  In  fact, 
frum  the  mimbers  of  inexj)erienced  persons  who  entered  on  the  occupation  of  sheep  farming 
ill  this  new  settlement,  and,  without  any  fixed  princi[iles,  carrieil  on  a  mere  random  system 
of  breeding,  the  greater  portion  of  the  wool  consists  of  even.'  shade  of  quality  that  natuial . 
accidents  could  produce.  The  abundant  pasturage  of  I'ort  Philip  appeals  also  to  aflect  the 
pure  Merino  wool  of  the  Sydney  district,  which  in  the  former  locality  acquires  a  more  open 
appearance,  loses  somewhat  of  its  fineness,  and  increases  about  a  quarter  or  half  a  pound  in 
the  weight  of  the  Heece.  The  average  weight  of  the  good  <)ualities  of  Port*Philip  fleeces, 
after  washing,  is  from  2^  to  2^  lbs. ;  of  the  Sydney  fleeces  about  2.j  lbs.  There  has  been 
for  several  years  a  desire  to  introduce  a  greater  unili)rmity  of  quidity  in  the  fleecea  of  each 
pai-ticular  grower,  and  on  the  whole  an  inclination  to  adhere  to  the  production  of  the  finer  ' 
qualities  of  wool.  ^ 

[  Here  follow  details  of  the  Australian  method  of  washing  and  other  preparations  for  shearing,  which  ara 
omitted,  as  they  conform  in  every  important  particular  to  the  direcliuns  laid  down  in  these  Letters  fur 
those  processes.] 

The  wool  is  now  ready  to  be  packed  and  dispatched  to  the  port  of  shipment.  Each  fleece 
is  cleared  of  the  locks  and  chppings  or  other  unseemly  portions,  and  is  usually  tied  with  a 
piece  of  string,  and  Ughtly  squeezed  into  bags  containing  about  one  hundred  each,  or  from  two 
hundred  and  fifty  to  three  hundred  pounds  weight.  The  ponderous  bullock  dray  is  now  yoked 
to  its  team  of  eight  or  a  dozen  oxen,  and  charged  with  an  ample  load  of  the  golden  fleece,  is 
dispatched  from  tlie  station  on  its  annual  and  protracted  mission  tt)  the  port  of  shij)ment. 

The  wo€)l  on  its  arrival  in  town  is  now  generally  classed  and  re-packed  at  an  establishment 
for  that  purpose,  unless  this  process  has  aheady  been  competently  performed  at  the  station. — 
The  classification  distinguishes  only  the  entire  fleece ;  it  is  not  attempted  to  proceed  to  a 
minuter  distinction  of  qualities  by  breaking  the  fleeces.  When  intended  for  sale,  the  wool, 
on  its  arrival  in  town,  is  conveniently  exhibited  in  the  various  bins  of  the  sorting  establish- 
ment, and  its  quality  and  condition  are  fairly  ascertained.  At  the  establishment  of  the  Messrs. 
Bakewell,  in  lilelbourne,  the  wool  is  assorted  first  into  the  two  leading  divisions  of  clothing 
and  combing,  and  each  of  these  descriptions  is  run  out  into  five  qualities,  the  fifth  or  lowest 
being  the  coarse  Leicester  breeds.  Extra  fine  lots  are  classed  by  themselves ;  swper-gieasy. 
or  kempy,  or  other  defective  fleeces,  are  also  classed  apart.  The  charge  for  sorting  is  ^d.  per 
pound.  The  usual  charge  for  hand-washing  is  Id.  per  pound  on  the  weight  returned,  and  for 
scouring  Id.  to  l^d.  per  jxjuud.  The  system  of  re-packing  is  also  of  use  in  exposing  any  wet 
or  damp  that  the  wool  may  have  acquired  on  the  way  fiom  the  interior,  in  which  condition  it 
is  iu  danger  of  beating  and  even  of  originating  fire  in  the  hold  of  a  vessel  during  a  lengthened 
voyage. 

The  shipping  season  for  the  Australian  staple  commences  toward  the  end  of  October  ;  but 
only  a  few  solitary  drays  have  succeeded  in  reaching  town  during  that  month.  Considera- 
ble quantities  have  arrived  by  the  end  of  November ;  and  during  the  two  succeeding  months 
there  is  a  continuous  succession  of  vehicles  pouring  with  their  voluminous  loads  into  the  various 
ports  of  the  district. t  These  arrivals  begin  to  fall  oft' in  Februiuy  ;  but  during  that  and  the 
two  succeeding  mouths  considerable  quantities  continue  to  be  ship[>ed,  including  the  later  shorn 
fleeces  of  the  young  lambs.  The  shipment  of  other  exjwrts,  which  are  comparatively  of  un- 
important amount,  terminates  with  that  of  the  wool.  A  solitary  vessel  may  linger  till  July  or 
August,  when  the  transactions  of  the  season  are  finally  closed. 

The  following  from  a  late  number  ot  the  Sydney  Herald  may  be  well  appended  to  the 
above : 


*  This  included  a  tmall  quantity  of  foreign  wool.  The  proportion  from  Australia  and  Van  Piemen's 
Land  on  this  occasion  was  2o.l34  bales.  The  early  suli-s  were  held  at  Garraway's.  ami  rontinutd  ihi're 
from  1817  to  1^4.3.  when  the  locality  was  translerrcd  to  the  Hall  of  Cummerce.  wliere  tbey  mil  continue. 
The  first  bale  at  the  first  sale,  from  the  novelty  of  the  circuinstHnce.  realized  lOs.  6d.  jier  pound. 

(Mark  l.Hiic  Express,  7th.  1-lih.  Bnd  •.'iM  Oct.  1P44. 

t  There  are  fivp  shipping  ports  in  Australia  Felix  ;  naniciv,  Melbourne,  or  its  port  of  Willianu'l'iwn,  (jec- 
Inna,  Portland,  Belfast  and  Port  Albert,  or  Alberton,  in  diups's  Land.  The  quHntiiy  lor  the  present  yrwr 
(1847)  may  be  estimated  at  about  2^,000  bales,  of  which  tive-sixths  are  sbippeil  .»l  WiUiamalown  and 
Geelong. 


296  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

'•  Our  two  time-honored  competitors  in  the  production  of  fine  wool,  Spain  and  Germany, 
have  been  iiiii^-  beaten  out  of  the  field.  The  climate  and  paslurage  of  these  polonies,  and  of  the 
congenial  setflfement  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  backed  by  the  enerfries  of  their  Aiij.'lo-Saxon 
race  of  flock-masters,  h^ive  more  than  compensated  for  our  greater  distance  from  Britit-h  mar- 
kets. We  h-dve  been  enabled  to  supply  a  good  article — in  vast  and  ever-increasing  quanti- 
tie.« — and  at  prices  which,  notwithstanding  the  cost  of  carriage,  have,  through  our  facilities  of 
prodnc  jon,  left  us  a  remunerating  profit,  but  which  our  ancient  rivals  have  found  to  be  in- 
^  euiicient  trt  replace  prime  cost. 


But  althoiMdi  Spain  and  Germany  have  ceased  to  vie  with  us  as  sellers  of  the  raw  mate- 
nalJn  England;  thev  have  done  so  only  to  renew  the  contest  in  another  form.  Tliey  have 
enlarged  their  manuracturing  operations.  Since  they  can  no  longer  sell  their  fleece  at  a  profit, 
they  have  revived  on  working  it  up  in  their  own  looms.  To  that  extent,  therefore,  they  will 
cease  to  iqj^Brt  wrought  woolen  fabrics ;  and  in  so  far  as  their  imports  were  from  Great 
Britain.  thciW^-ill  be  a  corresponding  decrease  in  the  British  consumptionof  our  wools.  The 
woolen  cloths  inujorted  into  those  two  countries  from  Great  Britain,  in  the  year  1841,  amounted, 
in  declared  value,  to  £1.026.481  sterling;  and  if  we  add  the  cjuantities  imported  in  the  same 
year  into  Holland  and  Belgium,  the  amoimt  would  have  been  about  a  million  and  a  half.  We 
must  therefore  be  cautious,  as  prudent  men,  not  to  allow  our  spirits  to  be  too  much  exhilarated 
by  the  apparent  victory  we  have  gained  over  '  our  hereditary  enemies,'  seeing  that,  though 
eeemingly  vanquished,  they  have  but  shifted  their  position  and  varied  their  tactics. 

"  A  judicious  writer  says,  in  1844  :  '  Of  late  years  cottons  have,  from  their  cheapness,  in  a 
great  degree  superseded  the  lower  qualities  of  cloths — a  circumstance  which,  joined  to  the 
increasing  rivalry  of  France,  Germany  and  Belgium,  renders  it  improbable,  unless  new  mar- 
kets shall  be  opened  in  China  or  elsewhere,  that  much  extension  will  in  future  be  given  to 
our  manufacture  of  woolen  cloths.'* 

"  While,  however,  the  Spanish  and  the  German  wool-growers  have  thus  ceased  (or  are 
expected  veiy  shortly  to  cease)  to  compete  with  us  as  exporters  to  England,  another  com- 
petitor has  sprung  up  in  a  new  mid  quite  unexpected  quarter.  In  addition  to  corn,  bread- 
stuffs,  rice,  tobacco,  cotton,  sugar,  and  an  endless  catalogue  of  '  notions,'  in  which  Brother 
Jonathan  has  hitherto  prided  himsell'  as  a  mighty  producer,  he  has  now  taken  it  iiito  his 
head  that  he  can  breed  sheep  and  export  wool  on  a  large  scale.  And  it  would  seem  that  in 
England  his  whim  has  by  no  means  been  thought  whimsical.  For,  say  certain  Liverpool 
brokers  to  him,  under  date  of  3d  September,  1846  :  '  The  arrivals  of  wool  from  the  United 
States  last  year,  for  the  first  time  to  any  extent,  made  quite  a  sensation  in  this  country,  as  it 
was  generally  considered  that  you  required  to  inijiort  these  qualities,  and  there  was  no 
knowledge  that  your  growth  of  wool  was  of  such  importance.  We  have  seen  it  estimated 
at  sid-t>/-five  million  pounds  ;\  and  from  your  vast  (and  to  us  almost  incredible)  means  of 
production,  we  believe  it  will  cause  a.  kind  of  revolution  in  the  wool  trade.' 

"Jonathan's  own  opinion  of  the  matter  is  thus  expressed  through  the  medium  of  the  Newr- 
Orleans  Commercial  Times :  '  Wool  can  be  grown  as  cheaply,  and  to  as  great  advantage,  in 
the  cotton-growing  States  as  in  any  part  of  the  world.  There  is  nothing  in  the  climate  to 
prevent  it.  If  it  may  be  found  desirable  to  grow  that  of  the  finest  grades,  it  can  be  done 
without  fear  of  the  animals  becoming  covered  with  hair  in  a  few  years.'  He  has  evidently 
some  misgivings,  however,  as  to  the  policy  of  his  attempting  the  finest  grades,  for  he  imme- 
diately subjoins,  '  However,  we  are  inclined  to  think  that  wool  of  a  coarser  quality  will  be 
found  mos'  prof  fable,  mutton  being  also  an  object  with  us.' 

"  If  the  United  States  already  produce  four  times  the  quantity  of  wool  that  we  do,  and  if 
there  is  a  reasonable  chance  of  their  producing  it  of  a  quality  equal  to  ours,  and  at  no  greater 
cost,  then  have  we  indeed  much  to  fear  from  their  formidable  rivalry.  The  vast  extent  of 
their  territory,  the  almost  illimitable  resources  f)f  their  soil  and  climate,  the  indomitable  spirit 
of  their  citizens,  combined  with  their  proximity  to  the  British  market,  will  render  their  com- 
petition, if  successful  at  all,  successful  in  no  ordinary  degree. 

"  '  Wool,'  says  another  Liverpool  correspondent,  addressing  an  American,  '  requires  in  its 
production  srreat  attention  in  crossing  the  breed,  otherwise  the  quality  degenerates  veiy 
quickly.  The  maintenance  of  its  fineness  depends  also  very  much  on  the  nature  of  the  pas- 
turage on  which  the  sheep  graze.  And  we  may  remark  that  your  own  samples  are  of  a  par- 
ticularly good  kind.'  " 

Here  is  a  word  of  encouragement  for  the  Americana,  with  a  word  of  caution  for  the  Aus- 
tralians. Of  the  two  requisites  for  the  production  and  preservation  of  a  superior  staple,  one, 
suitable  pasturage,  is  bountifully  supplied  to  the  Australian  grower  by  Nature,  while  the 
other  depends  u])on  his  own  hiduslry  and  skill.  In  this,  it  is  to  be  feared,  he  has  scarcely 
been  just  to  himself.  He  has  possibly  presumed  too  much  upon  the  natural  advantages  of 
the  fine  sheep-sustaining  country  in  which  his  capit^il  is  staked.  It  will  be  well  if  this  note 
of  warning  from  the  land  of  Stars  and  Stripes  shall  rouse  him  to  a  more  vigilant  attention. 

[Simmonds's  Colonial  Magazine. 

*  Waterton'3  CyclopffifliR  of  ComrnRrce.  p.  672. 

t  The  qiinntiiv  of  wool  exported  Irom  New  South  Wales,  including  the  district  of  Port  Philip,  in  tlie  year 
1843,  was  17,064,734  lbs. 


Library 
N.  C.  State   College 


ATPEXDIX.  ,         ' 


ON  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY  IN  SOUTH  CAROLINA. 

Report  on  the  Value  of  Slieep  Husbandt-y.     Read  to  the  Agricultural  Socielyf  Pendleton, 

SoiUh  Carolina. 

Iv  obedience  to  your  resolution,  requiring  your  committee  to  "  report  on 
Sheep  Husbandry  in  the  South,"  they  bejr  leave  to  say  that  the  resolution 
would  seem  to  require  a  more  extended  examination  than  could  be  embraced 
in  a  report  of  an  ordinary  length. 

They  will  therefore  confine  themselves  to  that  part  of  the  subject  which, 
in  their  estimation,  will  best  show  the  applicability  and  value  of  sheep  hus- 
bandry to  our  neighborhood  and  section. 

Although  but  little  attention  is  given  by  any  of  us,  to. raising  sheep,  and 
by  none  to  preparing  wool  for  a  foreign  market,  yet  it  will  be  admitted,  that 
our  native  stock  are  healthy,  growing  to  a  fair  size  and  produce  a  fair  fleece, 
from  two  to  five  pounds,  even  under  the  great  neglect  with  which  they  are 
treated. 

There  is,  however,  one  question  necessary  to  examine,  and  that  is, 
whether  the  quality  and  quantity  of  the  fleece  deteriorate  in  our  climate.  The 
question  has  been  very  fully  examined  by  Mr.  H.  S.  Randall,  a  very  intel- 
ligent and  experienced  wool  grower  in  Cortland,  New  York.  From  his 
excellent  letters,  published  in  the  Farmers'  Library,  (the  perusal  of  which 
I  take  pleasure  in  recommending  to  the  members  of  this  society,)  I  draw  the 
following  statement  : 

'*  It  is  known  that  from  Spain  (north  latitude  36  to  44  degrees)  all  the 
fine  wooled  flocks  have  sprung.  And  that  in  Saxony  (north  latitude  50  to 
51  degrees  30  minutes)  the  Spanish  Merino  wool  has  been  improved  in 
fineness  of  fibre  but  lessened  in  quantity.  In  New  York  (north  latitude  42 
to  44  degrees)  the  fineness  of  the  Spanish  Merino  is  preserved  and  quantity 
increased.  In  Vermont  (north  latitude  43  to  45  degrees)  the  fineness  and 
quantity  of  the  Saxony  wool  are  preserved." 

South  of  us,  in  Madison  county,  Mississippi,  (north  latitude  32  degrees, 
41  minutes,)  the  wool  of  the  Saxony  sheep  has  been  found  to  maintain  its 
original  fineness,  and  increased  in  quantity.  Recent  experiments  in  Aus- 
tralia (south  latitude  33  degrees  65  minutes)  show  that  fine  wooled  sheep 
(the  Merino)  preserve  the  quantity  and  improve  in  quality  of  fleece. 

The  exports  of  wool  from  there  in  1810  was  only 167  lbs. 

"  "  in  1833         «  ....    3,.')ir),S09    " 

■'•  "  "  in  lb43  "  ....       lG,2-2i},4U0    " 

In  1834,  London  price  for  best  Spanish  Merino,  was  ....  67  eta. 

"         Australian  Merino,  100" 

"         English  wool,        --... 48" 

2P  297 


f 


298  "  APPENDIX. 


In.En^nd,  (r>orth  latitude  50  to  56  degrees,)  from  some  cause  not  yet 

settled,  fine  wool  cannot  be* grown. 

•  JNe^r'vh^Cape'of  Good  Hope,  (south  latitude  34  minutes.)  Merino  Sheep 

dt)  well,_maintainino;  both  quality  and  quantity  of  fleece  with  Spain. 

^"Tli§ Jatitude  of  fendleton  is  34  degrees  40  minutes,  but  counting  a  de- 

a  gv^e'fcrr  every  200  feet  altitude,  would  throw  us  some  twelve  degrees  farther 


north,  and,l)et*  eeit  the  latitudes  of  Spain  and  Saxonj?^ 
'So  for  <hen  as  fa 


^„ fatitude  is  concerned,  experiments  have  been  made  both 

irerfh  a^ysouth  of  us,  which  show,  that  here,  Spanish  Merino  wool  neither 
f^      degeneflPTs  in  qjiality  nor  quantity  of  fleece. 

It'is  also  knt)wn  that  rich  succulent  green  food  generally  adds  length  to 
fibre,  but  dlie#not  ^ways  n)ake  fine  wool  coarser,  at  least  between  latitude 
28  and  50  degree*  north,  nor  does  it  make  coarse  wool  finer.  Humidity 
•,*and  dryness  OT  atmosphere  seem  to  have,  as  well  as  climate,  some  influence 
on  the  fifcre.  l3ut  as  yet,  the  laws  which  govern  the  fleece  have  not  been 
satisfactorily  ascertained.  It  is  sufficient  for  the  present  inquiry  that  experi- 
ments verify  the  operation,  that  in  this  latitude  Merino  wool  will  not  become 
", coarser,  nor  the  coarse  long  wool  become  finer,  if  each  stock  be  kept  pure. 
•  *AtlA  *as  the  climate  is  well  adapted  to  both,  the  choice  of  stocks  may  very 
well  be  left  to  the  fancy  of  those  who  try  either. 

We  come  now  to  test  the  value  of  sheep  husbandry  to  this  section  of 
country.  There  are  many  methods  by  which  this  can  be  done.  I  shall, 
however,  take  the  simple  one  of  comparing  the  profits  of  this  with  the  other 
pursuits  of  the  country. 

It  is  acknowledged  in  the  Northern  States  that  growing  wool  is  a  good 
business  there,  and  I  will  first  give  a  table  from  Mr.  Randall's  letter,  show- 
ing the  profits  of  growing  wool  in  New  York  : 

A.  buys  100  ewes  at  $2, $200  00 

"          33^  acres  of  land  at  $20,             C66  66 

Cutting  and  curing  11  acres  of  the  above  for  hay,         ....  13  65 

Pay  for  shearing,               ..........  4  00 

For  salt,  tar,  and  siunmer  care, 4  00 

For  labor  of  winter  feeding,             5  00 

Loss  by  death  2  per  cent,  above  pulled  wool  from  those  that  die,         -  4  00 

$837   31 

BECEIPTS. 

300  lbs.  wool  at  394, •-        $118  71 

80  lambs  at  $1, 80  00 

Summer  manure  equal  to  winter  care,  ....  5  00 

$203  71 

This  is  equal  to  24  per  cent,  on  the  amount  invested,  and  makes  the  cost 
of  the  wool  to  the  farmer  27  cents  per  pound.  A  calculation  founded  on 
the  same  data  for  Pendleton  makes  the  result  more  favorable : 

A.  buys  100  ewes  at  $1, $100  00 

Pays  ibr  shearing,  4  00 

For  salt,  tar, 2  00 

Loss  2  per  cent,  above  skins  and  wool  of  those  that  die,           -         -         -  2  00 
I  make  no  charge  for  summer  pasture,  because  it  costs  nothing,  nor  should 
rye  or  barley  pastures  for  winter  be  charged;  the  crop  is  reaped  after- 
wards.    But  charge  it  at  20  cents  per  head, 20  00 

One  hand's  attention  an  hour  in  the  morning  to  turn  to  pasture,  and  an  hour 
in  the  evening  to  pen;  this  is  one-sixth  part  of  his  time.  Say  his  whole 
time  is  worth  $72 ;  one-sixth  is -         -         12  00 

Total  outlay  and  expense  for  feeding  one  year,         •        -    $140  00 


f 

APPENDIX.  •    •  299 


IlKClSlPTS.  ^ 

2  lbs.  wool  por  head  is  200  lbs.,  at  2U  cents,  -    •    -         -         $  ID  OIT 

bU  lunibs  ut  $1  when  one  year  okl, btt  ^H)    .   • 

— : — »  ?120  00*  I 

'•*  '.     .  • 

This  is  85  per  cent.     In  this  instance  the  wool  costs. the  farmer  jac#>i^ 
IX'duct  SDO,  the  value  of  the  original  stock  of  ewes  at  tjiexoimncrtceii^'nt,     ' 
of  the  ne.xt  year,  from  $140,  the  total  outlay,  and  you  lfav(^5^u\"JiiCli  ijjp- 
value  of  the  lambs  more  than  e(]ual.  •       .  .  M 

Compare  it  with  farming  or  planting :  •    ,        ^Mk      '^      ^ 

A.  buys  a  ne^TO  for -         -'    •  -         $70f7  00^  * 

Furnislu's  biin  with  fifteen  acres  of  land  at  $;'),         -         •    ^    -         '•  ^^         "^  OiV 
Half  the  expenses  of  a  horse  and  jilough,    ...*••  &0  00 

For  liis  board  and  clothing, *-,.-•     ^O'OO 


*        ♦s-is'oo 

RECEIPTS.  *  **        • 

His  labor,  ir,0  barrels  corn  at  40  cents,             ....         $04  00 
5  bags  cotton  at  $30  a  bag, l.')ii  OU 

$21^  00   • 

This  is  equal  to  25  per  cent.,  certainly  as  much  as  any  man  in  this 
neighborhood  makes.  I  have  purposely  made  this  large  estimate  that  no 
one  can  say  it  is  under  the  truth. 

B.  buys  500  ewes  and  20  bucks,  common  stock,  at  $1,           .        .        ,  $.520  00 

Employs  a  shepherd, 175  00 

Pays  20  cents  for  winter  feed  per  head.        ...---  104  00 

Pays  for  tar  and  salt,        -         -         -         -         -         -         -         -         -         -  20  00 

B.  has  $76  less  than  A.  in  the  outlay, $819  00 

R£CEIPTS. 

3  lbs.  wool  per  head  is  1560  lbs.  at  20  cents,  -       $312  00 

80  lambs  to  the  100  ewes  is  400  lambs  at  $1,      -         -   400  00 

712  00 

Deduct  for  loss  over  skins  and  wool  of  those  that  die,  2  per  cent.,     18  40 

$693  60 

The  outlay  of  A.  (8SD0)  brings  him  8210,  equal  to  25  per  cent.  The 
outlay  of  B.  "(8*519)  brings  him  S(5U3  00,  equal  to  85  per  cent. 

This  calculation  will  do  for  the  neighborhood  of  Pendleton  or  lower  down, 
■where  sheep  have  to  be  fed  during  ^the  winter.  But  for  all  that  part  of 
Pickens  and  Greenville  district,  e.xtending  south  for  twenty-six  or  thirty 
miles  from  the  foot  of  the  mountains,  the  profits  would  be  larger.  For  in 
that  belt  of  country,  I  am  informed  by  many  residents — General  Garvin 
among  them — that  the  rans,t  affords  sufficient  food  for  sheep  the  entire  year. 
Even  when  snow  is  on  the  ground,  they  paw  the  snow  away  and  get  sus- 
tenance from  the  winter  grass. 

For  that  section  I  would  alter  the  calculation  thus  : 

B.  buys  500  ewes  and  20  bucks, $520  00 

Pays  for  a  shepherd,        -         -         -         -         -         -         -         -         -         -175  00 

Pays  for  salt  and  tar, 20  00 

$715  00 

RECEIPTS. 

1560  lbs.  wool  at  20  cents, $312  00 

90  lambs  to  the  100  ewes  is  450  at  $1,     -         -         -       450  00 

762  00 

Deduct  for  loss  2  per  cent  over  skins  and  wool  of  those  that  die,      19  00 

*  ^__  $743  00 

Making  $28  more  than  100  per  cent 


300 


APPENDIX. 


But  tryifit  on  a  scale  that  every  one  can  compare  with  his  own  expe- 
rience. 


$i  00 


2  40 
2   00 


4  40 


B.  buys  3  ewes  and  1  buck  for 

He  shears  12  lbs.  of  wool  at  20  cents,         .... 

■-■  2  lambs  at  $1, 

Over  100  per  cfnt. 

These  are  suppositions.  Take  what  has  actually  occurred  in  Pickens 
district.  gMr.  Stribling,  as  I  am  informed  by  himself,  bought  one  ewe 
for$l: 


In  1846  she  had  3  lambs, 
Sheared  2  lbs.  wool  at  20  cents. 


$3  00 
40 


In  1847,  same  ewe  had  2  Iambs,       -         .         .         . 
Sheared  again  2  lbs.  wool  at  20  cent?, 
Each  one  of  the  last  year's  lambs  had  a  lamb  apiece, 
And  sheared  from  the  3,  6  lbs.  wool  at  20  cents, 


2 

00 

40 

3 

00 

1 

20 

$3  40 


6  60 


This  is  an  increase  of  eight  in  two  years  from  one  ewe,  and  Mr.  Stribling 
says  at  this  time  the  whole  are  alive.  I  admit  this  is  an  extraordinary  case, 
and  it  is  only  mentioned  to  show  there  are  cases  of  actual  increase  far 
above  any  of  those  calculations  made  above. 

If,  then,  the  climate  be  not  only  adapted  to  fine  wool,  but  also  to  the 
coarse — if  the  range,  which  is  abundant  and  sufficient  to  feed  a  flock  the 
entire  year;  and  if  the  above  calculations  are  founded  on  data  anywhere 
near  correct,  what  more  can  be  desired  to  show  the  applicability  and  value 
of  sheep  husbandry  to  this  section. 

From  three  very  respectable  wool  growers,  one  from  each  of  the  states  of 
Pennsj'lvania,  New  York,  and  Ohio,  I  was  told  the  way  to  make  a  calcu- 
lation on  the  profits  of  sheep  husbandry  in  a  reasonably  safe  way,  was  to 
put  down  every  year  one-ninth  less  of  lambs  than  you  have  ewes,  and  then 
deduct  one-tenth  from  the  whole  for  deaths  in  that  year. 

Thus,  say  you  have  -         -         -         -         -         -         -         -,-         100  ewes. 

From  100  deduct  one-ninth,  and  you  have      ......      89  lambs. 

ISO 
Then  deduct  one-tenth  for  deaths,  -         -         -         -         -         -         -18 

And  you  have        -         --         -         -         -         -         -         -         -         -171 

To  start  with  the  next  year.     On  this  basis  I  have  taken  one  hundred  ewes 
and  run  the  calculation  on  for  eight  years.     The  result  was  : 

Wool  sheared  in  eiglit  years,     -         -         -         -         -         -         -         -         17,190  lbs. 

The  gentlemen  above  alluded  to,  say  that  half  the  wool  will  pay  all  ex- 
penses, even  when  the  winters  require  five  months'  feed : 

Deduct,  then,  one-half,  8.595,  at  20  cents, $1719  00 

The  increase  amounted  to  2067  sheep,  at  $1,  ....  2067  00 

Total, $3786  00 

This  result,  if  attained,  would  exceed  fifty  per  cent,  compounded.  They 
say,  too,  it  is  a  safe  estimate  to  saj^  that  the  lambs  of  each  year  will  pay  the 
expenses  of  the  whole  flock  for  that  year  in  Pennsylvania.  They  more  than 


APPENDIX.  •     •  301 


do  it  here.     Allow  eijrhty  lambs  to  one  hundred  ewes,  and  yov^have  from 
five  hundred  ewes,  four  hundred  lambs ;  deduct  one-tenth  for  deaths,  and 

You  have  3C>0  at  $1, {3G0  00 

Cliarge  20  cents  per  head  for  900  slieep,  makes      -         -         -     180  00 

Charge  for  sheplierd, 150  UO — *}3§  00# 


Lambs  over-pay  expenses  by •   .  Jjy  o^ 

All  these  calculations  are  made  on  the  supposition  that  shee^rf^et  a  part 
of  that  recjular  attention  which  all  farmers  g-ive  to  their  other  d(lR'.-?tic  ani- 
mals. And  to  make  sheep  husbandry  successful,  it  is  not  on!}'' necessary 
that  this  attention  should  be  given,  but  every  one  who  attempts  it  should 
know  somethinG^  of  their  diseases  and  the  cures,  and  also  the  summer  and 
Avinter  manajrement.  This  can  be  acquired  only  by  their  own,  or  the  ex* 
perience  of  others.  Easy  access  can  be  had  to  the  experience  of  northern 
wool  growers,  who  are  proverbial  for  being  close  observers.  Thfey  say  the 
disease  called  the  "  scours"  is  the  principal  one  to  which  sheep  are  liable, 
produced  by  excess  of  rich  green  food,  and  cured  easily  by  a  change  to 
dry,  but  if  allowed  to  continue,  is  fatal. 

From  the  introduction  into  the  United  States,  in  1S09,  of  Merino  sheep 
from  Spain,  owners  of  this  stock  have  considered  it  of  the  first  importance 
to  preserve  the  quality  and  quantity  of  their  fleece,  and  if  possible,  to  im- 
prove both.  They  ascertained  that  lambs  from  young  and  healthy  sires 
improved,  while  those  from  old  ewes  fell  back  both  in  quality  and  quantity 
of  fleece. 

Among  them  it  is  now  a  settled  practice  not  to  breed  from  ewes  over 
seven  or  eight,  nor  from  bucks  over  six  years  old.  It  is  very  important  to 
resort  to  the  evidence  of  age  the  teeth  afford.  Their  books  have  been  par- 
ticular in  describing  these  evidences,  which  I  will  copy:  "Durintr  the  first 
year,  lambs  have  eight  small  teeth  in  front,  in  the  upper  jaw,  called  nippers  ; 
at  a  year  old,  the  centre  two  shed,  and  two  larger  teeth  take  their  place. 
At  two  years  old,  the  next  two  are  lost,  and  supplied  by  two  larger  ones. 
Thus  losins:  and  being  supplied  by  two  larger  ones  annually,  till  five — then 
they  have  a  full  set.  At  eight  or  nine  they  begin  to  lose  their  nipj)ers — two 
every  year — and  by  thirteen  or  fourteen  years  old,  they  have  lost  their 
entire  set." 

It  is  evident  that  during  the  time  ewes  are  losing  their  teeth,  they  become 
less  and  less  able  to  supply  themselves  with  food,  consequently  afl/jrd  less 
and  less  milk  for  their  young.  Thus  the  degeneracy  is  accounted  for.  In 
Vermont,  where  wool  is  as  much  their  staple  as  cotton  in  South  Carolina, 
so  important  do  they  consider  it  not  to  breed  from  ewes  after  they  begin  to 
lose  teeth,  that  although  mutton  is  not  used  by  the  inhabitants  for  the  table, 
they  sell  their  old  stock  to  be  fed  to  hogs. 

In  most  of  the  other  northern  states,  their  ewes  at  that  age  are  kept  from 
the  bucks,  and  fattened  for  market.  From  their  known  skill  in  managing 
well  what  they  undertake,  we  may  safely  take  their  usage  as  a  guide,  when 
it  is  applicable  to  our  situation.  With  them  fjrass  is  the  entire  food  of  their 
flocks — srreen  meadows  for  summer  pasture  and  hay  for  winter.  Their  win- 
ters require  five  months'  constant  feeduie,  during  which  they  estimate  each 
sheep  to  consume  fifty  cents  worth  of  hay.  All  stock  is  then  kept  enclosed, 
and  the  attention  to  turning  sheep  to  pasture  in  summer,  and  feeding  sheep 
in  winter,  requires  but  little  labor  in  addition  to  their  other  stock. 

Flocks  require  close  attention  but  at  three  times  in  the  year — the  tupping, 
the  lambing,  and  shearing  seasons.  Ewes  go  with  lamb  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  days,  or  five  months,  and  they  so  manage  as  to  have  the  lambs 


302  APPENDIX. 


brought  in  April  and  May ;  (iiere  February  is  esteemed  by  many  a  better 
month.)  To  do  this,  the  bu^iks  must  be  kept  impounded,  except  at  the 
time  desited.  From  the  great  superiority  of  early  lambs,  this  part  of  sheep 
husbandry  is  esteemed  very  important. 

During  lambing  season,  close  attention  is  required  to  guard  both  ewe  and 
lamb  fi;om  storms  and  cold  winds — to  see  that  the  ewe  acknowledges  her 
lambj  and  to  keep  up  the  marking  and  altering  as  the  lambs  get  between 
fh^e  and#n  days  old.  . 

Tdh  days  previous  to  shearing  time  they  prepare  for  it  by  M'ashing  the 
wool  qn  l^e  sheep's  back,  that  the  natural  oil  of  the  wool,  which  is  destroyed 
by  <he  washing,  may  have  time  to  be  renewed,  without  which  the  wool  feels 
andi works  harsh.  The  washing  is  done  at  spouts  or  pools,  prepared  for  the 
purpose,  and  the  other  flocks  are  kept  on  clean  pastures  till  sheared.  As 
the  proper  preparation  of  an  article  for  market  is  justly  considered  of  the 
*next  importance  to  a  good  article,  I  will  describe  this  process  minutely,  as 
practised  for  the  northern  market.  The  shearing  is  done  on  a  clean  floor, 
and  each  fleece  is  kept  unbroken.  When  sheared,  it  is  rolled  outside  in, 
until  It  is  reduced  to  a  lump  about  ten  inches  each  way,  and  then  tied  with 
strings  in  two  places.  For  packing  the  wool,  a  bag  is  used  nearly  as  large 
as  our  cotton  bags,  which,  after  sewing  to  a  hoop  at  top,  they  hang  through 
a  hole  in  an  upper  floor,  a  little  less  in  diameter  than  the  hoop ;  here  the 
fleeces  are  packed  down  by  the  foot,  the  weight  of  an  ordinary  sized  man 
being  a  sufficient  pressure.  Thus  finished,  the  wool  is  ready  for  a  northern 
or  European  market.  Manufacturers  will  not  give  full  price  for  wool  unless 
the  fleeces  are  unbroken  ;  because,  before  manufacturing,  they  consider  it 
necessary  to  have  each  fleece  divided  into  five  qualities,  which  they  cannot 
do  if  the  wool  of  different  fleeces  is  emptied  together. 

Different  modes  of  summer  management  are  followed  in  different  coun- 
tries. The  one  followed  in  Australia,  as  described  by  Mr.  Randall,  is  not 
only  less  troublesome,  but  would  be  better  suited  to  our  mountain  region. 
There  they  roam  over  the  plains,  under  charge  of  a  shepherd,  in  flocks  of 
three  hundred  to  one  thousand.  Every  night,  some  two  or  more  of  these 
flocks  are  penned  together,  during  the  entire  year.  Breeding  promiscuously 
from  the  bucks  that  run  with  the  flocks,  allowing  three  or  four  to  the  hun- 
dred ewes.  At  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  he  says  the  same  practice  pre- 
vails ;  and  from  both  of  these  places  the  wool  exported  is  equal,  and  in  some 
instances  superior  in  quality  to  the  Merino. 

The  statements  here  given,  Mr.  President,  we  have  carefully  considered, 
and  believe  to  be  true — and  we  submit  them  under  the  belief  that  if  the  im- 
portance of  sheep  husbandry  was  duly  considered,  especially  by  the  districts 
lying  north  and  contiguous  to  the  mountains,  much  additional  comfort  and 
wealth  might  be  added  to  that  already  delightful  region. 

All  which  is  respectfully  submitted. 

R.  F.  SIMPSON. 


A^ote. — Since  this  report  was  read,  I  have  been  informed  by  Mr.  Thomas 
M.  Sloan,  that  his  wool  does  not  cost  him  more  than  five  cents  a  pound — 
and  by  Mr.  Morris,  at  Pickens  C.  H.,  that  for  care,  shearing,  &c.,  of  a 
small  flock  of  eight  ewes,  worth  eight  dollars,  kept  on  Ocone  mountain,  he 
paid  one-half  of  the  spring  clipping,  equal  to  three-quarters  of  a  pound  per 
head,  and  that  from  them  he  had,  after  paying  all  expenses,  $o  00,  and  eight 
lambs  worth  eight  dollars — $11  GO.     And  by   Mr.  Shepherd,  a  tenant  on 


APPENDIX.  303 

Mr.  J.  O.  Lewis's  Tamosa  eslate,  that  in  1846  he  tbuk  with  him  from  Green- 
ville a  few  sheep,  •  ,  • 

Among  which  were  4  owes,  worth $1  00 

They  hail  4  lambs,  worth 4  00 

Tliinks  lie  sheared  3  lbs.  per  head,  but  say  2,  which  is  8  lbs.  at  20  cts.  1 "  00  *—  5i  GO 
In  1848,  from  8  sheared  14  lbs.  wool  at  20  cents,  •         -         -  2   80    ., 

And  had  8  lainbs,  worth         -         -         -        ,  -         -         -  *      -     7  00  —  g  80 


• 


^\i   U) 


Salt  and  shearincr  was  the  only  expense.  He  had  only  ofR-^'  4o  feed 
thetn  once  in  the  two  years,  and  then  they  refused  to  taste  corn  shelled  -to 
them.  *  *  • 


H.  ANCRUM  ON  WOOL  MATTRESSE§. 

Ashley,  Pike  county,  Mo.  ' 
A  sound  man  in  one  nifrht  of  seven  hours'  sleep,  generally  perspires  fifty 
ounces  avoirdupois  or  four  pounds  troy  weight ;  we  cannot  wonder  at  that, 
since  there  are  above  three  hundred  thousand  millions  of  pores  in  the  body 
of  a  middle-sized  man,  and  that  in  the  last  hours  of  sleep  one  perspires 
most ;  hence  the  impropriety  and  the  weakness  of  lying  too  long  in  a  soft 
bed,  and  the  necessity  of  lying  on  a  comparatively  hard  elastic  bed,  such  as  a 
wool  mattress.  In  France,  wool  mattresses  are  generally  adopted,  conse- 
quently you  never  meet  with  a  bad  bed  there.  I  have  travelled  all  over 
France,  and  never  met  with  a  bad  bed,  and  a  very  recent  intelligent  Ameri- 
can traveller  of  great  observation,  mentions,  on  his  reinoval  from  England 
to  France,  that  he  found  the  French  beds  delicious,  because  the  beds  are 
wool  mattresses. 

3Jode  of  Makins:  a  JVool  Mattress. — The  first  thing  to  constitute  a  good 
heahhy  bed  is,  that  it  must  be  absolutely  flat,  therefore  all  bedsteads  should 
have  Avooden  laths  instead  of  sacking,  which  always  gives  and  forms  a  hol- 
low ;  the  wool  is  carded  by  hand,  and  all  knots  and  extraneous  matter  taken 
out ;  the  great  point  is  to  make  it  thick  enough.  The  best  bed  I  slept  in, 
in  my  hfe,  had  sixty  pounds  of  wool  in  it,  but  the  bed  was  n  very  large  extra 
size ;  half  that  quantity  will  make  a  small  bed,  but  if  you  wish  to  lie 
luxuriously,  yet  hard,  do  not  stint  the  wool,  that  makes  all  this  dilference  ; 
it  lasts  for  ever — the  covering  is  washed  once  a  year ;  the  wool  is  carded, 
and  a  few  pounds-  of  wool  added,  and  the  bed  is  sweet  and  new.  However 
luxuriously  he  may  be,  let  any  gentleman  have  a  good  wool  mattress  made, 
and  let  him  ride  f;rty  or  fifty  miles  and  thoroughly  fatigue  himself,  he  will 
then  know  the  value  of  such  a  bed.  My  object  is  also  to  increase  the  home 
consumption  of  our  wool.  There  are  twenty  odd  millions  in  the  United 
States ;  say  five  to  each  family,  four  millions ;  say  three  beds  to  each 
family,  taking  the  whole  population,  twelve  millions  ;  say  thirty  pounds  of 
wool  to  each  bed,  three  hundred  and  sixty  millions  of  pounds  of  wool;  say 
thirty-four  millions  of  sheep  in  the  United  States,  say  eighty  million  pounds 
of  wool;  this  will  consume  more  than  four  years' clip  of  our  wool.  Tiiis 
ought  to  be  promulgated  to  increase  the  consumption  of  our  wool,  and  such 
wool  as  cannot  be  sold  abroad.  Independent  of  the  benefit  to  all  in  theii 
health,  who  adopt  wool  mattresses  on  account  of  their  cleanliness  and  dura- 
bility, in  the  end,  they  are  cheaper  than  any  other  bedding. 

Every  thincf  that  increases  the  home  consumption  of  our  wool  is  of  na- 
tional importance,  as  is  every  thing  that  will  promote  the  general  health  of 


304  •  APPENDIX. 


our  people.  In  this  changeable  and  rigorous  climate  in  winter,  if  all  were 
to  wear  flannel,  particularly  narrow-chested  and  delicate  females,  it  would 
be  dr  the  greatest  benefit  to  their  health,  and  save  them  many  a  fit  of  sick- 
ness. When  we  consider  how  cheap  the  English  sell  their  Welsh  flan- 
nel, it  ought  to  stimulate  our  manufacturers ;  I  must,  however,  observe,  that 
I  never  purchased  any  flannel  in  the  United  States  equal  to  the  real  Welsh 
flannel,  or  that  did  not  shrink,  or  that  wore  near  so  long  as  the  English 
flannel.  •The  English  flannel  has  a  nap  on  both  sides,  which  renders  it 
warm  and  soft,  and  it  washes  soft  to  the  last.  The  United  States  flannel 
that  1  hsgve  used  washes  harsh,  and  the  wear  is  not  near  so  agreeable  as 
real  Welsh  flannel,  but  surely  all  these  difliculties  can  be  overcome  by  our 
pe<^)le,  and  they  can  make  as  good  flannel  as  the  best  Welsh  flannel. 

It  is  well  known  that  woollen  clothes,  such  as  flannels,  worn  next  the  skin, 
promote  insensible  perspiration.  May  not  this  arise  principally  from  the 
*  strong  attmction  which  subsists  between  wool  and  the  watery  vapor  which  is 
continually  issuing  from  the  human  body  ?  That  it  does  not  depend  entirely 
on  the  warmth  of  that  covering  is  clear,  because  one  degree  of  wamith  produced 
by  wearing  more  clothing  of  a  different  kind  does  not  produce  the  same  efl"ect. 
The  perspiration  of  the  human  body  being  absorbed  by  a  covering  of  flannel, 
it  is  immediately  distributed  through  the  whole  thickness  of  that  substance, 
and  by  this  means  exposed  by  a  very  large  surface  to  be  carried  off"  by  the 
atmosphere,  and  the  loss  of  the  watery  vapor  which  the  flannel  sustains  on 
the  one  side  by  evaporation,  being  inmiediately  restored  from  the  other  in 
consequence  of  the  strong  attraction  between  the  flannel  and  this  vapor,  the 
pores  of  the  skin  are  disencumbered,  and  they  are  continually  surrounded 
with  a  dry  and  salubrious  atmosphere.  It  is  astonishing  that  the  custom 
of  wearing  flannel  next  the  skin  should  not  have  prevailed  more  universally; 
it  is  certain  it  would  prevent  a  number  of  diseases,  and  there  certainly  is  no 
greater  luxury  than  the  comfortable  sensation  which  arises  from  wearing  it, 
after  one  is  accustomed  to  it.  It  is  a  mistaken  notion  that  it  is  too  warm 
clothing  for  summer ;  it  may  be  worn  in  the  hottest  climates,  at  all  seasons 
of  the  year,  without  the  least  inconvenience  arising  from  wearing  it.*  It  is 
the  warm-bath  of  a  perspiration  confined  by  a  linen  shirt,  wet  with  sweat, 
Avhich  renders  the  summer  heats  of  southern  climates  so  insupportable;  but 
flannel  promotes  perspiration  and  favors  its  evaporation,  and  evaporation, 
as  it  is  well  known,  produces  positive  cold.  I  can  vouch  for  the  truth  of 
every  word  of  this.  I  wear  the  same  kind  of  flannel  all  summer  as  I  do  in 
winter  with  sleeves ;  when  I  take  extra  exercise  and  perspire  freely,  my 
body  and  flesh  is  always  cool  and  comfortable,  and  in  part  I  owe  it  to  wear- 
ing'flannel  that  I  have  never  had  either  fever  or  ague  in  this  western  coun- 
try, which  is  full  of  it.  All  this  may  appear  trivial,  and  sanitary  rules  are 
disregarded,  but  it  is  all  of  the  utmost  importance  and  to  all.  Say  fifteen 
millions  of  our  people  wear  flannel  next  their  skin,  and  three  flannel  waist- 
coats to  each,  that  is  forty-five  millions  of  waistcoats,  at  two  yards  each, 
(not  enough  with  slee.ves  as  they  ought  to  be  made,)  ninety  milUons  of  yards 
of  flannels  in  waistcoats  only.  Old  people,  delicate  women  and  children, 
and  above  all,  consumptive  people,  ought  all  to  wear  flannel  drawers  as  well 
as  a  flannel  waistcoat ;  if  this  was  adopted,  the  great  sickness  that  prevails 
in  the  United  States  would  be  much  diminished.  Men  drink  spirituous 
liquors  to  increase  the  animal  heat,  and  feel  that  glow  that  is  called  com- 
fortable. Let  them  wear  flannel  next  their  skin  instead,  and  keep  the  body 
Vv'arm  and  the  head  cooL 

*  The  firemen  in  stoaraboats  cnuM  not  exist  if  they  wore  linen  instead  of  flannel  shirts.     The  pleasant- 
est  of  all  mattresses  is  one  made  of  a  mixtux-e  of  wool  and  hair.    [JiDd.  Plodqh,  Loom,  asd  A^vil.] 


INDEX. 


Abdomen,  the.     Page  228. 

coniunts  of  the,  228 — 233. 
Abomasuin,  cut  of  the,  228. 

structure  and  functions  of  the,  229. 
Acarus  of  scab,  cut  of  the,  259. 

.  description  and  habits  of  the,  258 — 259. 

how  produced,  258. 
Acetate  of  copper.     See  Verdigris. 
Afghanistan,  advantages  of,  for  sheep  hus- 
bandry, 118. 
Africa,    (exclusive  of  Cape  of  Good  ^ope,) 
sheep  of,  151. 

exports  of  wool  to  Enzland  from,  110. 

exports  of  wool  to  U.  6.  in  1846,  124. 

quality  of  wool  exported  from,  90. 
Age,  determined  by  the  teeih.  237,  238. 

names  indicaiive  of  the,  237. 

length  of  in  ditferent  breeds,  156.  157. 
Agrostis  (stricta)  mlgaris.  See  Utrds-grass. 
Air-cells,  description  of  the,  235. 
Alabama,  population  of,  17. 

number  of  sheep  in,  17. 

pounds  of  wool  grown  in,  17. 

average  weight  of  fleeces  in,  18,  21. 

woollen  factories  in,  17. 

value  of  woollen  goods  manufactured  in, 
17. 

price  of  land  in,  60. 

adaptation  of  mountain  lands  of,  to  sheep 
husbandry,  47. 
Ale,  the  use  of,  in  sheep  medicine.  274. 
Allegheny  mountains.  See  Apalachian  moun- 
tains. 
Allspice,  use  of,  in  sheep  medicine,  276. 
Aloes,  use  of,  in  sheep  medicine,  275. 
Alum,  use  of,  in  sheep  medicine,  275. 
Anatomy  of  the  sheep.  227,  238. 

how  far  necessary  to  be  studied.  227. 

proper  subjects  tor  the  study  of,  227. 

directions  for  studying,  227,  228. 
Animals  which  destroy  sheep  in  the  South, 
64. 

in  Australia.  65. 

at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  65. 

how  guarded  against,  65. 
Antimony,  the  use  of,  in  sheep  medicine,  275. 
Aorta,  the,  234. 

Apalachian    mountains    of    U.    S.,    where 
situated,  30. 

area  occupied  by,  30.        * 

geology  and  soils  of,  30,  31,43,44,  46,49. 

altitude  of,  43. 

grasses  which  flourish  on,  43,  44,  47,  59, 
62. 

adnptation  of,  to  pasturage,  44,  46,  47, 
59,  62. 

climate  on.  44 — 51,  59. 

price  of  lands  on,  44,  46 — 48,  59. 
Apoplexy,  confoimded  with  grub  in  the  head, 
258. 

cause  and  treatment  of,  251—253. 


1  Arachis.     See  Pindars. 
Arctium  lappa,  injurious  to  woaiti  131. 
Argentine  Republic.     See  Bitrno.t  Ai/res. 
Arsenic,  the  use  of,  in  sheep  practice ,^5. 
Arteries,  the,  234.  ^ 

Artichokes,  value  of,  as  a  fodder,  213. 

straw  of,  fed  to  sheep  in  Germiiiiy,  211. 
Ashes,  as  a  fertilizer  in  the  South,  67.  • 

leached,  67. 
analysis  of,  67. 
Asia.     See  names  of  countries  of. 

exports  of  wool  from   to  U.  S.  in  1846, 
124. 
Asiatic  sheep.     See  Broad-tailed  sheep. 
Asia  Minor,   adaptation  of,  to  sheep  hus- 
bandry, 118.  -* 
Auricles  of  the  heart,  the,  234. 
Australia,  introduction  of  sheep  into,  25. 
introduction  of  .Merinos  into.  25. 
effect  of  climate  of,  on  quality  of  wool, 

25—29. 
wools  of,  compared  with  Spanish,  26. 
wools  of,  compared  with  Saxon,  26. 
exports  of  wo<jI  from,  25. 
exports  of  wool  brought  down  tol846,294. 
how  sheep  are  managed  in,  26. 
sheep    husbandry     of,    compared    with 

Saxon,  26. 
general   adaptation    of,    to  sheep    hus- 
bandry, 25.  119—121. 
soils  and  products  of.  119. 
price  of  land  and  labor  in,  119 — 121. 
climate  of.  120. 
remarkable  drouths  of,  120. 
wild  beasts  in,  destructive  to  sheep,  121. 
vast  disianccof,  from  European  markets, 

121. 
prospect  of  the  increase  of  wool  in.  121. 
note  giving  statistics  of  wool  trade  of, 
brought  down  to  1846,  294. 
Austria,  advantages  of.  for  sheep  husbandry, 
114.  116.     See  Germany  and  Hungary. 
soils  of,  114. 
climate  of,  115. 
management  of  sheep  in,  )39. 
exports  of  wool  from,  to  U.  S.  in  1846, 
124. 
Aquafortis,  use  of,  in  sheep  practice,  276. 

B. 

Baden,  advantages  of,  for  sheep  husbandry, 

114. 
Bakewell,  Mr.,  the  former  of  the  New  Lei- 
cester breed.  142. 
the  conduct  of,  as  a  feeder,  censured, 
143,  249. 
Barley,  value  of,  in  producing  live   weight, 
wool  and  tallow,  214. 
per  cent,  of  nitrogen  in.  214. 
value  of  straw  of,  as  a  (odder.  213. 
straw  of,  fed  to  sheep  m  Germany,  211. 
a  ^05 


306 


INDEX. 


Barns  for  sheep,  cut  of.    Page  205. 

ground-plan  of,  with  sheds  and  yards, 
^09.  i 

BarraRi  for  hay,  description  and  cut  of,  209. 
Bavaria,  advantages  of,  for  sheep  husbandry, 

114,  115. 
Beans,  value  of,  as  a  fodder,  213. 

straw  of,  fed  to  sheep  in   Germany,  211. 
Beet  field,  value  of,  as  a  fodder,  213. 

white  Silesitin,  value  of,  as  a  foddfer,  213. 
Belgium,  eifjjorts  of  wool  from,  110. 

exports  of  wool  from,  to  U.  S.  in  1846,  124. 
late  increase  of  manufactures  in,  294. 
Beloochistan,  advantages  of,  for  sheep  hus- 
bandry, 118. 
Berifcla  grass  in  the  South,  38. 
ITS  enormous  product,  38. 
^its  adaptation  to  meadow  or  pasture,  38. 
Pits  adaptation  to  barren  sands,  38. 
^    Bichlpride  of  mercury,  use  of,  in  sheep  me- 
W  dicine,  275. 

Biflex  canal,  description  of,  238. 
|i        disease  of,  261. 
^ile,  account  of  the,  231. 
Biliary  duct,  description  of  the,  231. 
Bladder,  the,  233. 
Blain,  unusual  in  U.  S.,  222. 
Blankets  for  slaves,  description  of,  87,  90. 

cost  of  manufacturing,  87,  90 — 92. 
Bleeding,  place  for,  273,  274. 
rules  for,  274. 

the  quantity  of  blood  to  be  abstracted  in, 
274. 
Blood,  the  circulation  of  the,  235. 

the  importance  of  purity  of,  in  breeding, 
168,  171,  172. 
Blue  grass,  as  the  food  of  sheep,  212. 
in  the  North,  33. 
in  the  South,  37. 

on  the  Southern  mountains,  44,  47,  48. 
Blue  Ridge  of  mountains,  location  of,  30. 
Also,  see  Apalachians. 
geology  of,  30. 

soils  and  products  of,  31,  44 — 47,  59. 
advantages    of,    for    sheep    husbandry, 
44 — 47,  59. 
Bone  dust,  as  a  manure  in  the  South,  67. 
Bot.     See  Grub  in  the  Head. 
Box  for  feeding  grain  to  sheep,  cut  of,  203. 

for  dipping  lambs,  cut  of,  192. 
Brain,  description  of  the,  236. 
Brazil,  a  portion  of,  in  wool  zone,  105. 
exports  of  wool  i'rom,  110. 
exports  of  wool  from,  to  U.  S.  in  1846, 
124. 
Breeding,  principles  of,  168 — 172. 

importance  of  selection  in,  168,  190. 
in  and  in,  effects  of,  169. 
in  and  in,  how  avoided,  170,  172. 
crossing,  when  admissible  in,  170. 
crossing,  how  conducted,  172. 
crossing,  method  of  starting  flocks  in  the 

Souih  by,  170. 
crossing,  importance  of  selecting  good 

rams  for,  172. 
register,  how  kept,  180. 
British  America,  exports  of  wool  from,  110. 

to  U.  S.  in  1846,  124. 
British  West  Indies,  exports  of  wool  from, 
110. 
to  U.  S.  in  1846,  124. 
Broad-tailed  sheep  introduced  into  the  U.  S., 
151. 
wool  and  mutton  of  the,  151. 


Bronchial  tubes,  the,  235. 
Bronchitis,  description  and  treatment  of,  240. 
Bronchocele.     See  Goitre. 
Browse,  feeding  of,  in  winter,  217. 
Buckwheat,    value    of,    in    producing    live 
weight,  wool  and  tallow,  214. 
per  cent,  of  nitrogen  in,  214. 
value  of  straw  of,  as  a  fodder,  213. 
straw  of,  fed  to  sheep  in  Germany,  211. 
Buenos  Ayres,  advantages  of,  for  sheep  hus- 
bandry, 105,  106. 
advantages  of,  for  sheep  husbandry,  com- 
pared with  U.  S.,  106. 
exports  of  wool  from,  105. 
exports  of  wool  from,  to  U.  S.,  in  1846, 

124. 
pampas  of,  105. 
inhabitants  of,  105. 
Burdock,  injurious  to  wool,  131. 


c. 


Cabbage,  value  of,  as  a  fodder,  213. 

Cabul,  advantages  of,  for  sheep  husbandry, 

118. 
Cachectic  diseases,  254,  255. 
Camphor,  use  of,  in  sheep  medicine,  275. 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  65,  119. 
Merinos  introduced  in,  26. 
Merinos,  their  increase  in,  26. 
exports  of  wool  from,  110. 
exports  of,  to  U.  S.  in  1846,  124. 
M'ool  of,  compared  with  Australia,  26. 
advantages  of,  for  sheep  husbandry,  65, 

119. 
climate  of,  26,  119. 

climate  of,  efl'ect  of,  on  quality  of  wool,  26. 
face  of  the  country  in,  119. 
remarkable  drouths  in,  119. 
prevalence  of  wild  beasts  in,  119. 
Capillaries,  functions  of  the,  234. 
Caraway  seeds,   the   use  of,  in  sheep  medi- 
cine, 275. 
Cardiac  opening,  the,  231. 
Carrots,  value  of,  as  a  fodder,  213. 
Castration  of  rams,  180. 
Cataract,  the,  239. 

Catarrh,  common,  description  and  treatment 
of,  240. 
malignant  epizootic,  description  of,  240 — 

247. 
maHgnant  epizootic,  ravages  of,  in  U.  S., 

240. 
malignant  epizootic,  treatment  of,  245, 
246. 
Catechu,  use  of,  in  sheep  medicine,  275. 
Cattle  doctor,  the  most  dangerous  of  mala- 
dies, 226. 
Caul.     See  Omentum. 

Census  of  U.  S.,  inaccurate  in  its  wool  re- 
turns, 1^ 
Cerebellum,  Ihl,  236. 
Chalk,  the  use  of,  in  sheep  medicine,  275. 
Chelmsford  plains,  for  slave  cloths,  86,  90. 

quality  and  cost  of  manufacturing,  90 — 93. 
Cheviot  sheep,  introduction  of,  into  U.  S., 
149. 
description  of,  149,  150,  154. 
low  quality  of  their  wool,  151. 
Chili,  portion  of,  in  the  wool  zone,  105. 
exports  of  wool  from,  110. 
exports  of  wool  from,  to  U.  S.  in  1846, 
124. 


INDEX. 


307 


China,  advantages  of,  for  sheep  husbandry, 

Page  118. 
Choking,  treatment  of,  273. 
Chyle,  account  of  the,  231. 
Climate,  not  controlled  by  lat'tude,  104. 
of  various  countries  compared,  1(>4. 
range  of,  in  which  tine  sheep  are  bred, 

17,  18. 
range  of,  in  which  wool  can  be  most  eco- 

nomicnllv  grown,  103,  104. 
of  U.  S.,  favoriiblo  to  sheep,  18,  103, 104. 
effect  of,  on  health  of  sheep,  18,  103. 
effect  of,  on  the  amount  of  wool,  22. 
effect  of,  on  the  quality  of  wool,  23, 
27—29. 
Clogging  sheep,  how  done,  193. 
Clover,  red,  as  the  food  of  sheep,  212. 

value  of  cut  in  different  states,  as  a  fod- 
der, 213. 
acclimation  of,  in  Virginia,  36. 
acclimation  of  on  the  mountains  of  Vir- 
ginia, 44.  47. 
acclimation  of  south  of  Virginia,  44,47. 
not  indispensable,  44,  47. 
substitute  for,  a:i  a  fodder,  and  manuring 

crop.  39.  41. 
white,  as  the  food  of  sheep,  212. 
flourishes  on   the   southern  mountains. 
45,  47. 
Coecum,  cut  of  the.  232. 
Colic,  symptoms  and  treatment  of  253. 
Cold  storms,  dangerous  effects  of,  after  shear- 
ing, 191. 
Colombia,  exports  of  wool  from,  110. 
Colon,  cut  of  the.  232. 
Cobza,  value  of.  as  a  fodder,  213. 
Copperas,  sulphate  of,  use  of,  in  sheep  medi- 
cine, 275. 
Corn,  Indian,  as  food  for  sheep,  216. 
value  of.  as  a  fodder,  213. 
blades  of  as  sheep  fodder,  41.  212.  214. 
stalks  of  as  a  sheep  fodder,  41,  212,  214. 
Corrosive  sublimate,  use  of,  in  sheep  medi- 
cine. 275. 
Cotswold  sheep,  origin  of  149. 

introduction  of.  into  the  U.  S.,  149. 
description  of.  149. 
crosses  of  with  other  breeds,  149. 
cut  of  148. 
Cotton,  statistics  of  the  crop  of  79. 
cost  of  growing,  79,  85. 
cost  of  grovvmg,  compared  with  that  of 

growing  wool.  85. 
should  alternate  with  other  crops.  78^-83. 
alternating  of,  with  wool  growing  pro- 
posed. 81. 
rotations  for  such  alternation  proposed, 

83,  84. 
more  should  be  grown  on  less  land,  80, 

85. 
seed  of,  as  a  food  for  sheep,  216. 
Crab  grass,  account  of  the.  37. 
Creeping  panic  grass.     See  Bermuda  grass. 
Crimea,  advantages  of,  for  wool  growing, 
117. 
Merinos  introduced  in,  117. 
Crook.  u.=es  of  the,  described,  196. 

cut  of  the.  196. 
Crossing  breeds  and  varieties,  object  of,  170. 
effects  of  170—172. 

adv1»ntages  of  under  some  circumstances, 
162.  164.  170. 
Cud.  lo?s  of  the.  not  a  disea-se,  272. 
Cumberland  grass.     See  Bermuda  gnus. 


Cumberland  mountains  described,  43.   Also, 

see  Apalachians. 
the  adupiaiion  of,  to'%heep  buebMidry, 

48.  •  ^ 

Curled  kale,  as  food  for  sheep,  62. 

tlouri.-ifies  on  southern  niuuntains,  62 
Cynodon  dactylon.  See  Bermuda  grass. 
Cynoglossum  officinale,   injurious    to   wool, 

1^74.     See  Hourul's-lon^ue. 
Cystisis,  unusual  in  U.  S.,  288.  ^ 

D. 

• 

Dactylis  glomerata.     See  Orchard  grajf. 
Dangerous  rams,  how  managed,  193.  Mjk 
Denmark,  exports  of  wool  from.  110. 
Depots  for  wool.     See  ^Vool  Depots.         » 
Diaphragm,  structure  and  functions  of  231. 
Diarrhoja,  description  and  treatment  of,  250.     ^ 
Digestion,  the  process  of  229 — 231.  W 

Digitalis,  use  of,  in  sheep  medicine,  275. 
Digitaria  sanguinalis,  account  of  the,  37.        ^ 
Diseases,  the  clas.«ilication  of  adopted.  226. 
same  causes  do  not  produce  the  same,  in 

different  countries,  220. 
popular  superstitions  concerning  causes 

of  220,  221. 
many  of  those  of  England  not  found  in 

U.  S.,  221— 223.  238. 
difference  in  the  type  of,  in  England  and 

U.  S.,  224. 
treatment  of  in  England  and  U.  S.  dif- 
ferent, 224. 
Enclish    treatment  of,   too    expensive, 

224,  225. 
English   treatment   requires    too   much 

skill  for  popular  use,  225. 
English  treatment,  its  pharmacopoeia  too 

e.\iensive,  225. 
treatment  of  by  "cattle  doctors"  dan- 
gerous, 226. 
better  do  too  little  for,  than  too  much, 
226.  ^ 

Dissection  indispensable  to  learn  nature  and 
treatment  of  diseases,  227. 
amount  of  instruction  necessary  to  per- 
form, 227. 
directions  lor,  227,  228. 
proper  subjects  for.  227. 
Division  of  flocks  proper  in  summer,  193. 

necessary  in  winter.  199. 
Docking  sheep,  necessity  for,  181. 

how  performed.  181. 
Dogs,  sheep.     See  Sheep  doss. 

destruction  of  sheep  in  the  South  by.  64. 
legal   enactments  in  relation  to  killing 

sheep  by.  in  New  York.  64. 
methods  of  protecting  sheep  from,  65. 
Down  sheep.     See  Soulfidou-ns. 
Dropsy,  acute,  unusual  in  U.  S.,  222. 
Drouths,  the  severe,  which  prevail   in   Aus- 
tralia and  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
119,  120. 
Ductus  cholcdochus,  functions  of  the,  231. 
Duodenum,  cut  of  the,  232. 
Dura  mater,  the.  236. 
Dutch  West  Indies,  exports  of  wool  from,  to 

U.  S.  in  1846,  124. 
Duties  on   wool  in  different   nations.    See 

Tariffs. 
Dysenterv,  difference  between,  and  diarrhcea, 
251. 
nature  and  treatment  of,  261. 


308 


INDEX. 


E. 


Ear,  mimbering. sheep  by  notching.  Page  179. 

Vcn  Thaer's  system  of,  178,  179. 

cuts  illustrating,  179. 

when  done,  l&O. 

notcher,  desfrj^ed,  180. 

holes  in,  to  record  age,  179. 

holes  in,  h(^jv  made,  &.C.,  179. 
East  Indies,  increasing  exports  of  wool  from, 
110,  111. 

in  what  countries  of  the,  wool  is  grown, 

^118.      • 
Ellrriwi,  Mr.  the  great  improver  of  the  South- 

^downs,  144. 
Emasculation  ofl'tms,  how  performed,  181. 
England,  duties  of,  on  imported  wool,  106. 
JBabie  of  imports  of  wool  of,   and  from 

»wlifnce  imported,  every  fifth  year  for 
thirty  years,  110. 
imports  of  wool  of,  compared  with  other 
^       '  nations,  108. 

■P      imports  of,  brought  down  to  1846,  294. 
vast  increase  ot  imports  of  wool  of,  in 

sixty-nine  years,  123. 
subsequent  increase  in  imports  of,  294. 
exports  of  woollens  from,  108. 
exports  of  wool  from,  109. 
exports  of  wool  from,  to  U.  S..  110. 
exports  of  wool  from,  to  U.  S.  in  1846, 

124. 
number  of  sheep  in,  109. 
produce  of  wool  in,  109. 
production  of  wool  in,  does  not  meet  the 

home  consumption,  109. 
general  advantages  of,  for  wool  growing, 

111. 
sheep  necessary  to  sustain  tillage  of,  71. 
sheep  dogs  of,  286. 
Enteritis,  Httle  known  in  U.  S.,  238. 
Epiglottis,  description  of  the,  236. 
Epilepsy,  little  known  in  U.  S.,  253. 
Epsom  salts,  the  use  of,  ui  sheep  medicine, 

275. 
Erysipelatous  scab,  261. 
Ethmoid  bone,  cut  of  the,  236. 
Ewes,  proper  age  of,  to  begin  breeding,  137. 
proper  number  to  be  put  to  one  ram,  197. 
difierent  methods  of  putting  to  ram,  198. 
feed  and   management  of,  during  preg- 
nancy, 217. 
pregnant,  should  be  watered  separately, 
199. 
Eye,  inflammation  of  the,  how  treated,  239. 


Fall  feeding,  a  good  preparation  for  winter, 

195. 
Febrile  diseases,  account  of  the,  238 — 251. 
Feeding  sheep  in  yards  with  other  stock  im- 
proper, 210. 
Felting  property  in  wool  accounted  for,  137. 
Fences,  poor  ones  teach  sheep  to  jump,  194. 
Fever,  inflammatory,  little  known  in  U.  S., 
238. 

malignant,  little  known  in  U.  S.,  238. 

typhus,  little  known  in  U.  S.,  238. 
Flaxseed.     See  Linseed. 
Fleece,  evenness  of,  important,  167. 

how  prepared  for  folding,  187. 

how  folded,  187,  188. 


Fleece,  cuts  of  table  and  trough  for  folding 
the,  187,  188. 

proper  twine  for  tying,  188. 

cut  of,  properly  done  up,  188. 
rlorida,  population  of,  17. 

number  of  sheep  in,  17. 

pounds  of  wool  grown  in,  17. 

average  weight  of  fleeces  in,  18,  21. 

woollen  factories  in,  17. 

woollen  goods  manufactured  in,  17. 
Fluke  worm,  cuts  of  the,  248. 

account  of  the,  247,  248. 
Fly,  its  attacks  and  their  efiects,  173,  192. 

how  avoided,  173,  192. 
Fodders,  table  of  nutritious  equivalents  of, 
213. 

increase  in  weight,  wool  and  tallow,  from 
using  diflerent  kinds  of,  214,  215. 

table  of  winter  variations  in,  for  sheep, 
211. 

table   of,   for  ewes,    a  month  prior  to 
lambing,  212. 

for  winter  feed  of  breeding  ewes,  217. 

amount  consumed  influenced  by  tempe- 
rature, 217,  218. 

cereal  grains  for  store  sheep,  215,  216. 

ruta  bagas  for  store  sheep,  215,  216. 

Indian  corn  to  be  fed  with  care,  216. 

regularity  in  giving,  very  important,  217. 
Folding,  how  done  in  England,  72. 

objects  of,  in  England.  72. 

inexpedient  in  U.  S.,  73. 
Folding  of.  fleeces.     See  Fleece. 
Food.     See  Grasses  and  Fodders. 
Foot  rot.     See  Hoof -ail. 
Fouls,  cause  and  treatment  of,  270. 
Foxglove.     See  Digitalis. 
Fractures,  treatment  of,  273. 
France,  area  of.  111. 

population  of.  111. 

number  of  sheep  in,  111. 

exports  of  wool  from,  110. 

exports  of,  to  U.  S.  in  1846,  124. 

exports  of  woollens  from,  108. 

late  increase  in  manulactures  of,  111,296. 

imports  of  wool  of,  108. 

duties  of,  on  imported  wool,  106. 

advantages  of,  for  sheep  husbandry,  111. 

soil  and  products  of,  111. 
French  Merinos,  account  of,  133. 

cut  of  wool  of,  135. 

quality  of  wool  of,  compared  with  Spa- 
nish and  American  families,  135, 136. 

weight  of  fleeces  of,  133. 
French  sheep  dogs,  285. 
Frontal  bone,  cut  of  section  of,  236. 
Frontal  sinuses,  cut  of,  236. 

locality  of  the  bot  or  grub  in  the  head, 
256. 


G. 


Gad-fly  of  the  sheep.     See  CEstrus  ovis. 
Gall  bladder,  account  of  the,  233. 
Garget,  description  and  treatment  of,  251. 
Gastritis,  little  known  in  U.  S.,  238. 
Generative  organs,  the,  233. 
Gentian,  the  use  of,  in  sheep  medicine,  275. 
Georgia,  population  of,  17. 

number  of  sheep  in,  17. 

pounds  of  wool  grown  in,  17. 

average  weight  of  fleeces  in,  18,  21. 

woollen  factories  in,  17. 


INDEX. 


309 


Georgia,    woollen  goods    manufactured   in. 
Page  17. 
advantages  of,  for  sheep  husbandry,  42, 
59, 60.  4 

price  of  land  in,  60. 

adaptation  uf  mountain  lands  of,  to  sheep 
husbandry,  47. 
Germany,  area  of,  114. 
population  of,  114. 
face  of  the  country  in,  114. 
soils  of,  114. 
climate  of,  115. 
land  tenures  in,  115. 

system  of  sheep  husbandry  in,  115,  139. 
method  of  managing  sheep  in,  139; 
circumstances  under  which  the  wool  of, 

is  grown  in,  115.  116. 
export  of  wool  from,  110,  114. 
expurt  of  woollens  from,  108. 
late  increase  in  woollen  manufactures  of, 

2%. 
general  advantages  of,  for  woo!  growing, 

114—116. 
general  advantages  of,  compared   with 

U.  S.,  116. 
general    advantages    of,    Mr.    Grove's 
opinion.  116. 
Gestation,  period  of  197. 
Gibraltar,  exports  of  wool  from,  110. 
exports  of  to  U.  S.  in  1846,  124. 
Ginger,  the  use  of,  in  sheep  medicine,  275. 
Glands,  the  parotid,  236. 
the  thyroid,  "236. 
the  thyroid,  diseases  of,  270. 
the  salivary,  236. 
Glottis,  account  of  the,  236. 
Goggles.     See  Hudatid  in  the  hrain. 
Goitre,  account  of  the,  270,  271. 
Grain,  policy  of  feeding  to  store  sheep  in 
winter,  215. 
best  kinds  of  for  winter  feed,  216. 
equivalent?  of  in  nutriment,  213. 
effects  of  different  kinds  of,  in  producing 
wool,  tailow  and  muscle,  214. 
Grain  box  for  sheep,  cut  and  description  of, 

203. 
Grasses,  natural  ones  of  the  South,  36 — 39, 
44,  45,  47 — 19.  58,  59. 
varieties  of,  which  should  be  tried  in  the 

South,  33.  35—38. 
best  acclimated  ones  of  the  South,  33, 

36—38. 
manner  of  forming  swards  of,  in  the 
South,  73 — 75. 
Great  Bucharia,  wool  trade  of,  118. 
Greece,  exports  of  wool  from,  110,  114.     ^In 
Table  on  page  110  it  is  called  Morea.) 
advantages  of  for  sheep  husbandry.  See 
Remarks  on  Turkey,  104,  114. 
Grub  in  the  head,  description  of  the,  256, 
257. 
the  larva  of  the  CEstrus  ovis,  257. 
cuts  and  description  of  the  CEstrus,  256. 
time  CEstrus  deposits  its  eggs.  256. 
locality   and  habits  of  the  larva,  256, 

257. 
cuts  and  description  of  the  larva,  257. 
cut  and  description  of  the  chrysaUs,  257. 
do  the  larva  produce  disease  in  the  sheep  ? 

257,  258. 
opinions  of  eminent  veterinarians  in  rela- 
tion to.  23^. 
method  of  preventing  and  expelling  the 
larva,  258. 


Gtlano,  as  a  manure  in  the  South,  67. 
Guatemala,  exports  of  \vool  from,  110. 
Guernsey  and  Man,  exports  of  wool  from, 

110. 
CJullet,  obstructions  of,  how  treated,  273. 
Gypsum  as  a  fertilizer  in  the  South,  67. 


H. 


Handling  sheep,  directions  for,  174. 

Hav,  diflt-rent  value  of  different  qualities  of, 

as  fodder,  213.  .  ' 

coniparative  value  o(^  in  producing  live 

weight,  wool,  and  tallow,  214. 

nitrogen  in,  214.         #  • 

Hay  holders  for  winter  foddering  described, 

211.  *  ^ 

Hanse  Towns,  exports  of  wool  from,  to  WS. 

in  1846,  124.  *  ^ 

Head,   for  proper  form  of,  see  the  descrip-    • 
tions  of  the  several  breeds,  and, prin- 
ciples of  breeding.  f^ 
cut  of  the  bones  orthe,  236. 
Heart,  structure  and  functions  of  the,  234, 

235. 
Hedysarum  onibrichis.     See  Sainfoin.  « 

Hepatization  of   the   lungs,  description  of, 

239. 
Herds  grass,  character  of  33,  37. 

dourishes  in  South  Carolina,  36,  59. 
flourishes  on  the  mountains   of  North 

Carolina,  44. 
the  soils  adapted  to,  37. 
Hindostan,  wools  exported  from,  108. 
Holland,  exports  of  wool  from.  110. 

exports  of  wool  from,  to  U.  S.  in  1846, 

124. 
exports  of  woollens  from,  108. 
Honeycomb,  or  second  stomach.     See  Ett'i- 

culum. 
Hooding  dangerous  rams,  how  done,  193. 
Hoof,  periodical  shortening  of  the,  necessary, 
183. 
best   time  and  method  for  cutting  the, 

183. 
cut  of  toe-nippers  for  shortening  the,  1S3. 
Hoof-ail,  erroneous   statements   of    English 
writers  concerning.  262. 
author's  experience  with  the,  262. 
consecutive  symptoms  of,  263. 
treatment  of,  264 — 269. 
preparation  of  the  foot  for  treatment  in 

the  diflerent  stages  of  265. 
common  remedies  for,  265.  266. 
common  method  of  treating,  ineffectual, 

264. 
effectual  method  of  treating,  266,  267. 
effectual  method  of  treating,  expense  of, 

267. 
cheap  method  of  keeping  under,  267, 

268. 
cheap  method  of  keeping  under,  cuts  of 

arrangements  for,  267,  268. 
evident  contagiousness  of  269,  270. 
propagated  by  inoculation,  269,  270. 
is  it  propagated  otherwise  than  by  ino- 
culation? 270. 
does  not  originate  spontaneously  in  U.  S., 

222,  223,  269. 
originates    spontaneously    in    England, 
223. 
Hoof-rot.     See  Hoof-atl. 
Hoove,  cause  and  ireaiment  of,  272, 273. 


310 


INDEX. 


Horns,  objectionable.    Page  166.  • ' 

method  of  shortening,  192. 
cause  and  treatment  of  maggots  under 
the,  192. 
Hoppling  sheep,  how  performed,  193. 
Hospital  for  feeble  sheep,  in  winter,  199. 
Hound' s-tongue^  J^ie    burr  of,    injurious   to 

wool,  174. 
Hungary,  advantages  of,  for  sheep  husbandry, 
115—1,17. 
advaHtages  of,  compared  with  those  of 

cither  countries,  117. 
climate  of,  115,  ITS. 
aaiLs  of,  116.  j. 
land  tenures  m,  116. 
want  of  majiet  facilities  in,  116,  117. 
Prince  Estmiazy's  flock  in,  116. 
^  ■        *  sheep  do^  of,  284. 
W    H^atid  in  the  brain,  254,  255. 

♦  causes  o'f,.254. 

prevalence  in  England  of,  254. 
not  "very  common  in  U.  S.,  254. 
barbarous  popular  method  of  treating, 

255. 
proper  treatment  of,  255. 


Ileum,  cut  of  the,  232. 

Illinois,  advantages  on  prairies  of,  for  wool 
growing,  96 — 103. 
Saxon  sheep  introduced  into  south  of,  27. 
rot  prevails  in  south  of,  222. 
In-and-in  breeding,  effects  of,  169. 
Independent    Tartary,    advantages    of,    for 

sheep  husbandry,  118. 
Indiana,   advantages  of,   for   wool  growing, 

96—103. 
Inflammation  of  the  bladder.     See  Cystitis. 
of  the  brain.     See  Phreriitis. 
of  the  eye.     See  Opthalmia. 
of  the  intestines.     See  Enteritis, 
of  the  larynx.     See  Laryngitis. 
of  the  lungs.     See  Pneumonia. 
of  the  liver.     See  Rot. 
of  the  stomach.     See  Gastritis. 
of  the  udder.     See  Garget. 
of  the  membrane  lining  the  thorax.  See 

Pleuritis. 
of   the   mucous   membrane   lining    the 

bronchial  tubes.     See  Bronchitis. 
of  the  mucous  coat  of  the  smaller  intes- 
tines.    See  Diarrheea. 
of  the  mucous  coat  of  the  larger  intes- 
tines.    See  Dysetitery. 
of  the  mucous  membrane  lining  the  nasal 

passages.     See  Catarrh. 
of  the  cellular  tissue  of  the  tongue.  See 
Blaiti. 
Intermaxillary  bone,  cut  of  the,  236. 
Intestines,  cut  of  the,  232. 
Iodine,  use  of,  in  sheep  medicine,  275,  276. 
Iowa,  advantages  of,  for  sheep   husbandry, 

96—103. 
Italy,   advantages  of,  for  sheep  husbandry, 
113. 
exports  of  wool  from,  110. 
exports  of  woollens  from,  108. 
area  of,  113. 
population  of,  113. 
soil  and  climate  of,  113. 
pasturage  of,  113. 


J. 


Jejunum,  cut  of  the,  232. 

John's-wort,  bad  effects  of,  on  sheep,  271. 

bad  elfects  of,  how  treated,  271,  272. 
Jugular  vein,  the   best  place  for  bleeding, 

274. 
June  grass.     See  Blue  grass. 


K. 


Kalmia  angustiflora,  poisonous  to  sheep, 271. 

antidotes  for,  271. 
Kentucky,  population  of,  17. 

number  of  sheep  in,  17. 

pounds  of  wool  grown  in,  17. 

average  weight  of  fleeces  in,  18,  21. 

woollen  factories  in,  17. 

woollen  goods  manufactured  in,  17. 

fine  wooled  sheep  bred  in,  27. 

advantages  of,  for  sheep  husbandry,  27, 
47,  48. 

adaptation  of    mountain    lands  of,    for 
sheep  husbandry,  47,  48. 
Kidneys,  structure  and  functions  of  the,  233. 


L. 


Lacteals,  the,  231. 

Lambs,  how  fed  in  winter,  215,  216. 

should  be  wintered  separately,  199. 
Lambing,  proper  time  for,  175. 

shelters  necessary  for,  175. 

assistance  when  to  be  rendered  ewe  in, 
175. 

care  of  the  newly  dropped  lamb,  176. 

changing  dams,  how  done,  177. 

irritation  of  the  bag,  how  managed,  177. 

the  convenience  of  pens  in,  177. 

pinning  of  young  lambs  after,  177. 
Lard,  use  of,  in  sheep  medicine,  276. 
Larynx  described,  235. 
Laryngitis,  little  known  in  LT.  S.,  238. 
Laurel,  low,  poisonous  to  sheep,  271. 
Leg,  treatment  of,  when  fractured,  273. 
Leicester  sheep,  origin  of  the,  142. 

cut  of  the,  142. 

cut  of  the   microscopic   appearance  of 
wool  of,  136. 

general  description  of,  143,  154. 

characters  of  as  breeders,  143. 

degree  of  hardiness  of,  143. 

points  aimed  at  by  breeders  of,  144. 

introduction  of,  into  U.  S.,  144. 
Lentils,  value  of,  as  a  fodder,  218. 

straw  of,  value  of,  as  a  fodder,  213. 

straw  of  fed  to  sheep  in  Germany,  211. 
Lice,  method  of  destroying,  192. 
Lime,  chloride  of,  use  of,  in  sheep  medicine, 
276. 

carbonate  of,  use  of,  in  sheep  practice, 
276. 

as  a  fertilizer  in  the  South,  67 — 70. 

as  a  fertilizer,  when  valuable,  68. 

as  a  fertilizer,  Johnson's  opinions  con- 
cerning, 68. 

as  a  fertilizer.  Von  Thaer's  opinion  con- 
cerning, 68. 

as  a  fertilizer,  Petzholdt's  opinion  con- 
cerning,  69. 


INDEX. 


311 


Lime,  as  a  fertilizer.  Chnptal's  opinion  con- 
cerning     Page  09. 
Linseed,  use  of,  to  guard  the  end  of  a  pro- 
bang.     See  Chokinir. 

caked,  value  of,  as  a  fndder.  213. 

oil,  use  of,  in  sheep  medicine,  276. 
Little  Bucharia,  exports  of  wool  from,  118. 
Liver,  structure  and  functions  of  the,  232, 
233. 

diseases  of  the.     See  Rot. 
Loliuin  perenne.     See  iiye  grass. 
Lonibardy.  advantages   of,   for   sheep    hus- 
bandry. 113. 
Long  wool,  the  goods  in  which  it  is  em- 
ploved,  143.  l.Tl. 

the  sheep  which  produce  it,   143,  149, 
151. 

market  for,  in  U.  S.,  154. 
Loss  of  cud,  not  a  disease,  272. 
Louisiana,  population  of,  17. 

number  of  sheep  in.  17. 

pounds  of  wool  grown  in,  17. 

average  weight  of  fleeces  in,  18,  21. 

woollen  factories  in,  17. 

voollen  goods  manufactured  in,  17. 

price  of  land  in.  60. 
Lucern.  unsuccessful  in  the  North,  33. 

succeeds  on  the  southern  mountains,  47. 

value  of,  as  a  fodder,  213. 

fed  to  sheep  in  Germany,  211. 
Lunar  caustic,  use  of.  in  sheep  practice,  276. 
Lunofs,  structure  and  functions  of  the,  235. 

hepatization  of  the,  described,  239. 

diseases  of  the.  239.  240. 
Lupins,  white,  as  a  green  manuring  crop  in 

the  South.  74. 
Lupinus  albus.     See  Lupins. 
Lymph,  the,  231. 
Lymphatics,  the,  231. 

M. 

Madia,  value  of.  as  a  fodder.  213. 

Maggots  on  sheep,  cause  and  treatment  of, 

192. 
Malta,  exports  of  wool  from.  110. 
Man,  Isle  of.     See  Guernsey  and  Man. 
Mangel  wurzel.  value  of  in  producing  live 
weight,  wool,  and  tallow,  214. 
per  cent,  of  nitrogen  in.  214. 
Maniplus.  structure  and  functions  of  the,  229. 

cut  of  the.  228. 
Manufactures  of  wool.     SeelFooZ/en  Manu- 
factures. 
Manufactories.     See  Woollen  Factories. 
Manufacturers  of  wool,  American,  their  suc- 
cess identified  with  that  of  the  wool 
growers,  161. 
have  not  properly  discriminated  in  the 
prices  of  different  qualities  of  wool. 
160. 
combinations  of,  to  lower  prices  of  wool, 
161. 
Manures,  fable  of  comparative  values  of.  40. 
the  available  ones  in  the  South.  67 — 76. 
green,  use  and  economy  of,  70,  72,  74, 75. 
the  cheapest,  for  the  South,  73 — 75. 
where  applied  in   a  proper  rotation  of 
crops,  84. 
Manvfoids.     See  Maniplus. 
Markinir  sheep,  the  brand  for,  191. 
suitable  pigment  for,  191. 
how  and  when  done,  191. 


Marking  sheep,  on  the  ears,  how  done,  179. 
Marl,  as  a  fertilizer.  South."  ()7 — 70. 

as  a  fertilizer,  when-valuable.  68,. 70. 

as  a  fertilizer,  expcnsiveness  of.  70. 

Meadow  .fox-tail    ^rfiss,    flourishes   on    the 

southern  mountains.  47. 
Medicajio  sativa.  Sec  Lucern. 
Medicities.  list  of.  for  sheep,  274 — 277. 

directions  for  administering  into  the  sto- 
mach, 273. 
Mercury,  preparations  of,  in  e&eep  medicine, 

275,  276. 
Merinos,  introductiorf  into  the  U.  S*.,  132. 
their  gradual  spread^  the  U.  S^;f'2. 
causes  of  their  8ub*quent  dec^fce  in 

U.  S.,  1.58,n59.     g^ 
their  rapid  restoratioWfo  public  favor  in 

U.  S..  160.  161.  •  ^   ^ 

Spanish  families  of,  132.  ^         ♦ 

Spanish,    amount  and  '(yifllity    of  wool 

yielded  by,  133,  135.   .     •         v  # 

Spanish,  cut  of  wool  of,  135,  137: 
French  family  of,  described.  133.  ^ 

French,    amount    and  quality   of   wool 

yielded  by,  133.  135. 
French,  cut  of  wool  of,  135. 
American  families  of,  described;  *133^ 

134.  •  •     ^ 

American,  amount  and  quality  of  wool 

yielded  by,  55,  134—137. 
American,  cuts  of  wool  of.  135,  136. 
American,  cut  of  ram  of,  131. 
American,  cut  of  ewe  of,  134. 
American,  hardness  of.  137. 
American,  profits  of  a  premium  flock  of, 

55. 
American,  prices  of  wool  of,  55. 
range  of  climate  endured  by.  137.  ^ 
countries  successfully  introduced  in,  17,, 

18.  '     •_ 

consumption  of  food  by,  compared  with 

other  breeds.  137. 
as  breeders  and  nurses,  compared  with 

other  breeds.  137. 
proportion  of  wool  to  amount  of  food 

consumed,  compared  with  the  English 

breeds,  l.')6. 
as  mutton  sheep,  compared  with  English 

breeds,  158. 
for  production  of  fine  wool,  compared 

with  Saxons.   163,  164. 
crosses  wi'ii  Saxons.  134.   138.  141,  164. 
crosses  with  native  sheep,  164. 
crosses  with  Southdowns.  170,  171. 
crosses  with  Leicesters.  171. 
the  best  variety  of  sheep  for  the  South, 

163,  165—168. 
proper  size  of.  165. 
proper  form  of.  166. 
proper  weight  of  fleece  of.  165. 
proper  length  and  density   of  wool  of, 

167. 
proper  evenness  of  wool  of,  167. 
proper  style  of  wool  of,  168. 
proper  amount  of  gum  on  wool  of,  167. 
proper  quality  of  skin  of,  166. 
points  to  be  avoided  in,  168. 
Mesentery,  cut  of  the.  232. 
Mesenteric  glands,  the,  231. 
Mexico,  adaptation  of,  to  sheep  husbandry, 

105. 
exports  of  wool  from,  110. 
exports  of  wool  from,  to  U.  S.  in  1846, 

124. 


312 


INDEX. 


Mexico,  sheep  dogs  of.     Page  284 — 286. 
Microscopic  \iews  of  wool,  135 — 137,  145. 
Middle  wools.     See  Southdown  wool. 
Midriff.     See  Diaphragm. 
Millet,  productiveness  of,  South,  37,  38. 
.  •      straw  of,  fed  to  sheep  in  Germany,  211, 
212.  ,^ 

.  value  of,  as  a  fodder,  213. 
Milt,     See  Spleen. 
Miscellaneous  diseases,  27r — 273. 
Mississippi,  population  of,  17. 
number  c"  sheep  in,  17. 
pounds  of  wool  grown  in,  17. 
a^rage  weigl)^  of  fleeces  in,  18,  21. 
woollen  factories  in,  17. 
woollen  goods  manufactured  in,  17. 
fine  wooled  sheep  bred  in,  27. 
Jatiiude,  &c.,  of,  compared  with  Aus- 
'    tralian,  27. 

•  Missouri  Territory,  advantages  of,  for  sheep 
husbandry,  96—103. 
Modena,  advantages  of,  for  sheep  husbandry, 

113. 
MoMdore  wool,  90. 

MoPla,   exports  of   wool  from,    110.      See 
Greece. 
•  Morocco.     See  Africa. 
Mountains   of   the   South.      See   Mountain 

zone,  under  head  of  Southern  States. 
Mud,  as  a  fertilizer.     See  Swamp  mud. 
Muriate  of  soda.     See  Salt. 
Muriatic  acid,  use  of,  in  sheep  medicine,  276. 
Alutton,  economical  food  for  slaves,  56,  57. 
its  effects  on  the  system  compared  with 

other  meats,  56. 
the    quality   of,    in   different   breeds   of 
sheep,  153,   154,  158.     Also,  see  the 
different  breeds, 
sheep,   the   English.      See  Southdowns, 

JLeicesters,  and  Colswolds. 
sheep,  where  they  constitute  the  most 

profitable  variety,  153,  154. 
sheep,  comparison  between  varieties  of, 

153,  154. 
sheep,   unadapted  to  most  parts  of  the 

South,  154,  155. 
sheep,  less  profitable  in  the  South  than 
Merinos,  158. 


N. 


Naples,  advantages  of,  for  sheep  husbandry, 

113. 
Nasal  bones,  cut  of  the,  236. 
Native  sheep  (so  called)  of  the  U.  S.,  origin 
of,  130. 
general  characteristics  of,  131. 
crosses  with  other  breeds,  131,  164. 
policy  of  grading  up  with  the  Merino  in 

the  South,  164,  170. 
selection  of,  to  cross  with  Merinos,  170. 
do  not  cross  successfully  with  Saxons, 
164. 
Nerves,  the,  236. 
Nervous  diseases,  the,  251. 
New    England,    advantages     of,    for    wool 

growing,  95. 
New  Jersey,  advantages  of,  for  wool  grow- 
ing, 95. 
New  Leicester  sheep.     Sec  Leirenter. 
New  Oxfordshire  sheep.     See  Cot.sioolds. 
New  South  Wales.     See  Aiotralia, 
New  York,  population  of,  17. 


New  York,  sheep  introduced  in  by  the  Dutch 
colonists,  130. 

number  of  sheep  in,  17. 

pounds  of  wool  grown  in,  17. 

average  weight  of  fleeces  in,  18,  21. 

woollen  factories  in,  17. 

woollen  goods  manufactured  in,  17. 

grass  lands  of,  how  managed,  32. 

price  of  grazing  lands  in,  53. 

price  of  sheep  in,  53. 

cost  of  producing  wool  per  pound  in,  61. 

profits  of  wool  growing  in,  53 — 55. 
Nitrate  of  silver.     See  Lunar  caustic. 
Nitrate  of  potash,  use  of,  in  sheep  medicine, 

276. 
Nitre.     See  Nitrate  of  potash. 
Nitric  acid,  use  of,  in  sheep  medicine,  276. 
North  Carolina,  population  of,  17. 

number  of  sheep  in,  17. 

amount  of  wool  grown  in,  17. 

average  weight  of  fleeces  in,  18,  21. 

woollen  factories  in,  17. 

woollen  goods  manufactured  in,  17. 

price  of  land  in,  44,  60. 

adaptation    of    mountain    lands    of,    to 
sheep  husbandry,  44 — 46. 
Norway,  exports  of  wool  from,  110. 

climate  and  flora  of,  104,  105. 
Numbering  sheep,  advantages  of,  178.    See 
He^istering. 

Von  Thaer's  system  of,  179. 

cuts  illustrating,  179. 


o. 


Oats,   value   of,  in  producing  live  weight, 
wool,  and  tallow,  214. 
per  cent,  of  nitrogen  in,  214. 
value  of  straw  of,  as  a  fodder,  213. 
straw  of,  fed  to  sheep  in  Germany,  211. 
Odessa,  exports  of  wool  from,  117. 
(Esophagus,  course  of  the,  234. — 236. 
entrance  of,  into  stomach,  228,  229. 
obstructions  of  the,  how  treated,  273. 
Q^sophagean  canal, structure  and  functions  of 

the,  229. 
CEstrus  ovis,  description  of,  256. 
natural  history  of,  256,  257. 
cuts  of,  256. 
Ohio,  advantages  of,  for  wool  growing,  95. 
Omentum,  descrii)tion  of  the,  228. 
One  crop  system  of  the  South,  81. 

exhaustion  of  land  consequent  on  the, 

81,  82. 
exhaustion  of  land  consequent  on  the, 
De    CandoUe's,    Macaire's,    Mirbel's, 
Braconnet's  and  Gyde's  theories  and 
experiments  on,  81. 
Opium,  use  of,  in  sheep  medicine,  276. 
Opthalmia,  treatment  of  the,  239. 
Orchard  grass,  unsuccessful  in  New  York, 
33. 
flourishes  on  the  southern  mountains,  62. 
Orkney,  wool  of,  90. 
Otter  sheep  of  the  U.  S.,  129. 
Ovaries,  the,  233. 


P. 


Palsy,  nature  and  treatment  of,  253. 
Pancreas,  structure  and  functions  of  the,  232, 
Panicum  milliaceum.    See  Millet. 


INDEX. 


313 


Panicum  sangiiinale.     Sec  Crah  smss. 
Papal  States,  advantages  of,  for  sheep  hus- 
bandry.    Pnijc  113. 
Parietal  bone,  cut  of  a  section  of,  236. 
Parma,  advantages  of,  for  sheep  husbandry, 

1 13. 
Parotid  glands,  the,  '236. 
Parturition.     See  iMmbitig. 
Pastures,  the  nniural  ones  of  the  South,  33, 
31,  -.i,;.  1 1_.18.  5!).  fit). 
how  fornu'd  on  sterile  lands,  73 — 75. 
Patagonia,  portion  of,  in  wool  zone,  103, 
Paunch.     See  Rumen. 
Peas  of  the  South.  39. 

substitute  for  clover  in  the  South,  39,41. 
value  of,  as  a  fodder,  3'J,  41,  213,  214. 
value  of,  in  the  production  of  live  weight, 

wool,  and  tallow,  214. 
per  cent,  of  nitrogen  in,  214. 
value  of,  as  a  green  manuring  crop,  74, 

75. 
what  time  plowed  under  for  green  ma- 
nure, 75. 
haulm  of,  valuable  as  a  fodder,  39,  213, 

214. 
haulm  of,  valuable  as  a  manure,  40. 
chemical  analysis  of,  39. 
Pedigree,  only,  value  of.  171. 
Pelt-rot,  description  and  treatment  of,  255. 
Pens   for  the    lambing    season,   how    con- 
structed, 177. 
Pennsylvania,  adaptation  of,  to  sheep  hus- 
bandry, 95. 
Pepper,  black,  use  of,   in  sheep  medicine, 

276. 
Pericardium,  the,  234. 
Persia,  advantages  of,  for  sheep  husbandry, 

104,  118.  . 
Peru,  e.tports  of  wool  from,  110. 

e.vports  of  wool  to  U.  S.  in  1846,  124. 
Pharyn.x,  the,  235,  236. 
Plileum  pratense.     See  Timothy. 
Phrenitis,  rare  in  D.  S.,  253. 
Pia  mater,  the,  236. 

Pimento,  use  of,  in  sheep  medicine,  276. 
Pindars.  value  of,  as  a  fodder,  213. 
Pinning,  fatal  to  lambs,  ho\v  managed,  177. 
Pleura,  the,  234. 

Pleuritis,  little  known  in  U.  S.,  238. 
Pleurisy.     See  Pleuritis. 
Pneumonia,  nature  and  treatment  of,   239, 

240. 
Poa  praiensis.     See  Blue  grass. 
Poisonous  plants  to  sheep,  271. 
Portugal,  exports  of  wool  from,  110. 
Potatoes,   Irish,  as  a  winter  feed  for  sheep, 
41,213. 
value  of,  in  the  production  of  live  weight, 

wool,  and  tallow,  214. 
per  cent,  of  nitrogen  in,  214. 
sweet,  winter  feed  of  sheep,  41. 
Poudrettc,  as  a  manure.  South,  67. 
Prairies  of  the   Western  States  described, 
'j.-,_107. 
advantnges  on  the,   for  wool  growing, 

9.5—107. 
natural  grasses  of  the,  96 — 99. 
natural  grasses,  succulent  during  but  a 

short  season,  9G,  97. 
natural  grasses,  rapidly  exterminated,  96. 
natural  grasses,  will  not  alone  support 

sheep,  96. 
natural    prasses,    make    poor    hay    for 
sheep,  ys. 


2R 


Prairies  of  the  Western  States  will  not  pro- 
duce winter  pasturage,  9'^. 
time  of  winter  loddering  necessary  on, 

97. 
cost  of  sheep  husbandry  on,  corrtpared 

with  Kasiern  Stales,  99.  • 

cost  of  fuel,  fences fcid  buildings  on,  99, 

100. 
difliculties.in  the  way  of  the  shepjicrd 

system  on,  100,  101. 
scarcity  of  water  on,  101, 
climate  of,  variable  and  excessive,  103, 

103. 
cJitnaie    of,     comp*-ed    with  ^tastern 

Slates,  102. 
cliniaie    of,    compar#d    with    Souihcrn 

Slates,  102,  103. 
climate  of.  unfavorable  to  fine   \doled' . 

sheep,  103.  ^ 

Pregnant  ewes,  how  managed.     See  Eirex.  ^ 
Prussia,  for  general  description  of,  see  Gtr- 

many,   114 — IKi. 
exports  of  wool  Irom.  110. 
exports  of  woollens  from.  108.       ^ 
advantages  of,  for  sheep  husbandry,  116. 
climate  of,  104,  115. 

manacrement  of  sheep  in,  139.  ^ 

Pulse,  place  for  feeling  the,  274. 

natural  rapidity  of,  274. 
Purging.     See  Diarr/iwa. 
Pylorus,  the,  228,  231. 

R. 

Rabies,  uncommon  in  U.  S.,  253. 
Racks,  for  feeding  sheep,  200 — 203. 
box,  cut  and  description  of.  20O. 
hole,  cut  and  description  of,  200. 
sparred,  cut  and  description  of,  201. 
hopper,  cut  and  description  of,  202. 
Rams,  method  of  castrating.  180,  181. 
dangerous  ones,  how  managed,  193. 
importance  of  careful  selection  in,  172. 
objections  to  several  running  in  the  same 

Hock  of  ewes.  197. 
necessity  of  selecting  ewes  in  reference 

to  quality  of,  197. 
proper  age  of,  to  put  to  ewes,  197. 
different  methods   of   putting   to   ewes, 

198. 
how  fed  when  running  with  ewes.  199. 
time  allowed  to  run  with  ewes.  199. 
number  of  ewes  those  of  dill'erent  ages 

will  serve,  197. 
not   allowed  to  run  with  ewes  in  sum- 
mer, 193. 
Rambouillet  Merino.    See  French  family  of, 

under  head  of  I^hrinos. 
Rape,  as  food  for  sheep.  62. 

flourishes  on  southern  mountains,  G2. 
Rectum,  the.  232. 
Red-top.     See  Herds  grass. 
Red  water.     See  Dropsy,  acute. 
Registering  sheep,  Mr.  Grove's  and  author's 
method,  180. 
importance  of,  178. 
Respiratory  passages,  the.  235. 
Respiration,  how  produced.  2.14. 
Resting  lands,  meaning  ol  the  term  in  agri- 
culture, 82. 
theory  of.  82. 
inexpediency  of.  82. 
Reticulum,  description  of  the,  228. 


814 


INDEX. 


Reticulum,  functions  of  the.     Page  230. 

Rice,  value  of,  as  a  fodder,  213. 

Roots,  for  winter  feed  of  sheep,  213,   214, 

216. 
Root  troughs,  cut  of,  203. 
Rot,  not  known  in  most  parts  of  U.  S.,  222. 
other  diseases  njistaken  for,  222. 
has  appeared 'in  Tennessee  and  Illinois, 

222. 
prevalence  of,  in  Europe,  221,  222. 
causes  assigned  for  the,  223,  248,  249. 
symptoms  of  the,  247. 
post-mortem  appearances  of,  247. 
cuts  of  the  liuke-worm  of,  248. 
suddenness  with  which  it  is  engendered. 

249. 
English  custom  of  selling  rotted  sheep 
.      to  the  butcher,  249. 
treatment  of  the,  249,  250. 
Rotation  in  crops,  necessity  of,  81,  82. 
necessity  of,  in  the  South,  78 — 83. 
a  sj'stem  of,  recommended  for  the  South, 
83—85. 
Rumen,  structure  of  the,  228. 
cut  of  the,  228. 
functions  of  the,  229. 
unnatural  distension  of  the.     See  Hoove. 
Rumination,  the  process  of,  230. 
Russia,  climate  of,  104,  117,  118. 
soil  and  products  of,  117. 
face  of  the  country  in,  117. 
the  south  of,  advantages  of,   for   sheep 

husbandry,  117. 
the  south  of,  compared  with  Hungary, 

117. 
the  south  of,  compared  with  prairies  of 

the  U.  S.,  117. 
Merinos  introduced  in,  in  1802,  117. 
Merinos,  rapid  increase  of,  in,  117. 
exports  of  wool  from,  110,  117. 
exports  of  wool  to  U.  S.  in  1826,  124. 
Ruta  bagas,  as  sheep  feed,  213,  216. 
Rye,  for  winter  pasturage  in  tlie  South,  40, 
58. 
value   of   grain    of,    in    producing    live 

weight,  wool,  and  tallow,  214. 
per  cent,  of  nitrogen  in,  214. 
dry  straw  of,  value  of,  in  diflerent  states, 

as  a  fodder,  213. 
fed  to  sheep  in  Germany,  211. 
Rye  grass,  unsuccessful  in  New  York,  33. 
flourishes  on  soutliera  mountains,  47,62. 


s. 


Sacking  wool,  how  performed,  189. 

proper  sacks  for,  189. 
Salt,  necessary  for  sheep  in  summer,  194. 

necessary  for  sheep  in  winter,  218. 

efl'ect,  in  conjunction  with  fodders,  in  in- 
creasing live  weight,  wool,  and  tallow, 
214. 

as  a  medicine,  276. 

box,  for  salting  sheep,  cut  of,  194. 
Saltpetre,  use  of,  in  sheep  medicine,  276. 
Sainfoin,  33. 

led  to  sheep  in  Germany,  211. 
Sardinia,  advantages  of,  for  sheep  husbandry, 

113. 
Saxon  siieep,  origin  of,  138. 

cut  of  ram,  133. 

varieiies  of.  139. 

microscopic  appearance  of  wool  of,  136. 


Saxon  sheep,  German  management  of,  116, 
139. 
introduction  of,  into  U.  S.,  140,  141. 
deterioration  of  blood  of,  in  U.  S.,  141. 
quantity  and  quality  of  wool  of,  in  U.  S., 

141. 
wool  of,  in  U.  S.,  compared  with  parent 

stock,  141,  142. 
general  description  of,  141. 
defects  of,  as  breeders  and  nurses,  139, 

141. 
defects  of,  in  hardiness,  139,  141. 
how  far  adapted  to  climate  in  northern 

states,  162. 
superseded   the   Merinos  for  a  time  in 

U.  S.,  159. 
rapid  decrease  of,  in  the  U.  S.,  160. 
dislike  to,  among  northern  farmers,  162. 
conjpared  with  Merinos  for  growing  fine 

wool,  163. 
improved  by  a  cross  with  Merinos,  136, 

137,  141. 
crosses  of,  with  native  sheep,  141,  164. 
Saxony,  soils  of  114. 
climate  of  104,  115. 
face  of  the  country  in,  114. 
management  of  sheep  in,  116. 
Scab,  description  of,  258. 

cuts  of  the  acarus  producing  it,  259. 
habits  of  the  acarus,  258. 
circumstances  under  which   the   acarus 

makes  its  attacks,  258. 
short-wooled    sheep    comparatively   ex- 
empt from,  259. 
contagiousness  of  259. 
prevalence  of,  in  England,  259. 
treatment  of  260,  261. 
Scotland,  (included,  in  most  respects,  in  de- 
scription of  England.) 
exports  of  wool  from,  to  U.  S.  in  1846, 

124. 
mountains  of,  only  kept  in  pasture  by 
sheep,  71. 
Scours.     See  Diarrhoea. 
Sedge  grass,  eaten  by  sheep,  49. 
Selection,  annual  necessity  of,  in  flocks,  190. 
rules  for,  190. 

form  of  a  register  to  expedite,  190. 
Shade,  necessity  of  in  sheep  pasture,  195. 
Shearing,  proper  time  of  184. 

time  between,  and  washing,  184. 
cut  of  arrangements  for,  1S4. 
rules  and  regulations  for,  185,  186. 
of  lambs,  objected  to,  186. 
of   sheep,    semi-annually,    objected   to, 
186. 
Sheds  for  sheep,  cuts  of,  205,  208. 

the  cheapest,  208. 
Shelter   for   sheep    in   winter.      See    Sheds, 

Stills,  &c. 
Sheep,  bred  in  all  climates,  17. 

number  of  in  the  southern  states  and  in 

New  York,  17. 
indispensable  for  support  of  poor  lands, 

71. 
indispensable  to  support  tillage  in  Eng- 
land, 71,  72. 
system  of  sustaining  tillage  lands  by,  in 

England,  71,  72. 
poor   lands   improved    b\%    in    northern 

slates,  72. 
system  of  improving  poor  lands  by,  in 

the  Soulli,  73 — 7<). 
belter  manurers  than  other  stock,  71,  72. 


INDEX. 


315 


Sheep,  improve  the  cliaracter  of  the  vegeta- 
tion.    Piige  57. 

e.ttirpators  of  briers  and  shrubs,  f)?. 

email  risk  by  death,  in  breeding,  57. 

impropriety  of  feeding,  in  yards  with 
other  Slock,  in  winter,  210. 

comparison  of  breeds  of,  153,  154,  163, 
lt;4. 

comparison  in  respect  to  weight  of  fleece, 

154,  15r.,  157. 

comparison  in  quality  of  wool,  1.54. 
comparison  in  consumption  of  food,  154, 

ISti. 
comparison   in    proportion  of   wool    to 

food  consumed,  156. 
comparison  in  hardiness,  156,  157. 
comparison  in  longevity,  156,  157. 
comparison  in  mutton,  1.53,  154,  158. 
comparison  in  bearing  hard  stocking,  154, 

155,  156. 

comparison  in  profitableness  in  the  South, 

156,  157. 

how  they  should  be  caught  and  other- 
wise handled,  174. 

washing  of     See  Washing  sheep. 

shearing  of.     See  Sh(ari7ig. 

(for  other  particulars  of  the  management 
of,  see  the  different  heads.) 

cordial,  how  compounded,  250. 

dogs,  of  the  ancients.  278,  279. 

dogs,  of  Spain,  260—284. . 

dogs,  of  Spain,  cut  of,  231. 

dogs,  of  France,  286. 

dogs,  of  Hungary,  284. 

dogs,  of  England,  287. 

dogs,  of  England,  cut  of,  287. 

dogs,  of  Scotland,  288. 

dogs,  of  Scotland,  cut  of,  288. 

dogs,  of  Mexico,  284 — 286. 

dogs,  of  South  America.  285. 

dogs,  sheep  must  be  familiarized  with, 
288. 
Silesia,  climate  of,  104,  115. 

face  of  the  country,  114. 

character  of  the  soil,  114. 
Slave  cloths,  description,  85,  86,  89,  90. 

expense  of  imported,  85,  86,  89. 

actual  first  cost  of,  90,  91. 

great  profits  of  manufacturers  of,  90,  91. 

should  be  manufactured  in  the  southern 
states,  87. 

oflTers  of  northern  manufacturers  to  fur- 
nish below  present  prices,  90,  91. 

cost  of  manufacturing  as  good  or  better 
plains  in  the  north,  86. 

cost  of  manufacturing  "  at  the  halves," 
87. 

cost  of  manufactaring  by  hand  on  plan- 
tations, 89. 
Smith's  Island  sheep,  129. 
Smyrna  wools,  quality  of,  90. 
Snuffles.     See  Catarrh. 
South  America,  portion  of,  in  the  wool  zone, 
105. 

climate  of,  104,  105. 

exports  of  wool  from,  105. 

sheep  husbandry  in,  105. 

advantages  of,  for  wool  growing,  105, 
106. 

advantages  of,  compared  with  U.  S., 
105.  106. 

pampas  of,  compared  with  prairies  of 
r.  S.,  105. 

sheep  dogs  of,  285. 


South  America,  for  other  particulars  of,  see 

Buenos  Ai/res,  Slc. 
Southdown  sheep,  origin  of,  144. 

cut  of  ram,  145. 

cut  of  ewe,  146. 

cut  of  wool  viewed  through  microscope, 
145. 

general  description  of,  144.  1 15, 148,  154, 

value  of,  as  a  nmttoh  sheep,  146,  147. 

weight  and  quality  of  Hei'ces  of,  146. 

wool  of,  deficient  in  felting  properties, 
145,  146. 

introduction  into  U.  S.,  147. 
South  Carolina,  population  of,  17. 

number  of  sheep  in,  17. 

pounds  of  wool  grown  in,  17. 

average  weight  of  fleeces  in,  18,  21. 

woollen  factories  in,  17. 

woollen  goods  manufactured  in,  17. 

price  of  land  in,  59.  60.  ^ 

neglect  ot  grass  culture  in,  31.  ^ 

hay  imported  into,  31. 

adaptation  of  soils  of,  to  grass  culture, 
31,  32,  34,  59,  80. 

adaptation  of  climate  of,  to  grass  culture, 
36. 

system  of  cropping  in,  32,  79. 

system  of  cropping  compared  with  New 
York,  32,  33. 

system  of  cropping,  change  in,  recom- 
mended by  legislature,  79,  80. 

system  of  cropping,  utility  of  sheep 
husbandry  in  effecting  such  change  in, 
85. 

cost  of  keeping  sheep  in,  59,  60. 

winter  pasturage  for  sheep  in,  58 — 60. 

adaptation  of  mountains  of,  to  sheep 
pasture,  47,  59. 

present  method  of  managing  sheep  in, 
59,  60. 

wolves  in,  64. 
Southern  States,  what  states  included  under 
this  designation,  30. 

area  of,  30,  94. 

natural  features  and  geology  of,  30,  31. 

quality  of  soils  of,  30,  35,  42.  69. 

profits  of  sheep  husbandry  in,  58 — 62. 

profits  of,  compared  with  other  hus- 
bandry in,  7(),  77. 

advantages  of,  for  sheep  husbandry,  77. 

advantages  of,  compared  with  other 
states  and  countries.  See  )l'ool  grow- 
ing. 

advantages  of,  for  migratory  sheep  hus- 
bandry, 62. 

advantages  of.  for  migratory  sheep  hus- 
bandry, compared  with  Spain,  62 — 64. 

expense  of  keeping  sheep  in,  59,  60. 

expense  per  pound,  of  growing  wool  in, 
61. 

expense  per  pound,  of  growing  wool  in, 
compared  with  New  York.  61. 

prejudice  in,  against  sheep  husbandry, 
and  causes  of,  72.  81. 

sheep  exposed  to  dogs  and  wolves  in. 64. 

compared  with  other  countries  in  above 
particular,  65. 

prices  of  land  in,  44.  46,  47,  60. 

amelioration  of  sterile  and  worn-out 
soils  of,  by  sheep  husbandry,  52, 
70—72. 

amelioration  of  sterile  and  worn-out  soils 
of.  by  sheep  husbandry,  more  cheaply 
than  by  the  available  manures,  C7. 


316 


INDEX. 


Southern  States,  amelioration  of  sterile  and 
worn-out  soils  of,  by  sheephusbandry, 
more  cheaply  than  by  rfiarl.  Page 
68—70. 

amelioration  of  sterile  and  worn-out  soils 
by  eheep  husbandry,  considered  cheap- 
est in  Eng|(ind,  71,  72. 

amelioration  of  sterile  and  worn-out  soils 
by  sheep  husbandry,  considered  cheap- 
est in  the  Northern  States,  73. 

amelioration  of  sterile  and  worn-out  soils 
by  sheep  huijbandry,  why  preferable 
to  cattle  husbandry,  71,  72. 

amelioration  of  sterile  and  worn-out  soils 
by    sheep    husbandry,    other    means 
available  m  conjunction  with,  74,  75. 
•    method  of  forming  pastures  on   sterile 
sOils^f,  73,  74. 

effect  oT  present  one-crop  husbandry  in, 
*        78—81.      • 

sheep   husbandry,  basis   of  convertible 
ftusbandry  in,  52,  78. 
t    converfible  husbandry  in,  the  strong  ne- 
cessity for,  82. 
,  convertible  husbandry  in,  recommended 
.  by  a  committee  of  the  legislature  of 
South  Carolina,  79,  80. 

convertible  husbandry  in,  recommended 
in  Judge  Seabrook's  Report,  80. 

rotation  of  crops  for,  proposed,  83 — 85. 

should  rear  their  own  products  for  con- 
sumption, 76. 

should  manufacture  their  own  coarse 
woollens,  85—89. 

cost  of  manufacturing  and  importing 
these  in,  compared,  86 — 87,  89 — 93. 

cost  of  manufacturing  slave  cloths  in,  by 
hand,  88. 

divided  into  three  zones,  30. 

the  territorial  limits  of  these  zones,  30, 
31. 
tide-water  zone  of,  30. 

natural  features  and  geology  of,  30. 

quality  of  the  soil  of.  30,  35,  69. 

compared  with  portions  of  New  York, 
34. 

compared  with  Flanders,  35. 

how  ameliorated,  35,  68. 

adaptation  of,  to  the  grasses,  31 — 38. 

adaptation  of,  to  clover,  32,  36. 

adaptation  of,  to  other  fodders,  38 — 41. 

causes  of  failure  in  acclimating  grasses 
in,  31,  32. 

proper  grasses  to  introduce  in,  37 — 40. 

natural  grasses  of,  36,  37. 

natural  pastures  of,  33,  34. 

number  of  sheep  per  acre  which  could 
find  subsistence  in,  58,  94. 

winter  pasturage  of  31,  40,  58,  59. 

prices  of  land  in,  60,  61. 

present  system  of  cropping  in,  32. 

climate  of,  adapted  to  growing  fine  wool, 
23—29. 
hilly  zone  of,  30. 

face  of  the  country  and  geology  of,  42. 

quality  of  the  .«<)il.  42. 

method  of  enriching  soils  of  72. 

adaptation  of,  to  grasses  and  grains,  27, 
42,  59. 

method  of  forming  pastures  in,  74. 

adaptation  to  sheep  husbandry,  43,  59. 

price  of  lands  in,  59,  61. 

climate  of,  42,  59. 

quality  of,  west  of  the  mountains,  51. 


Southern  States,  mountain  zone  of  30. 

altitude  of  the  Bhie  Ridge,  Alleghany, 
and  Cumberland  chains,  43,  63. 

altitude  of,  compared  with  the  moun. 
tains  of  Spain,  63. 

shape  of  the  mountains  of,  43. 

geology  of  43. 

character  of  the  soil  of,  44,  46,  49. 

large  portions  of,  arable,  43. 

table  lands  on,  43. 

grasses  of,  43,  44.  47,  59,  62. 

white  and  red  clover,  iucern,  and  rye 
grass  flourish  on,  47. 

timothy  and  orchard  grass  flourish  on, 
44,  62. 

adaptation  of,  to  pasturage,  44 — 47,  59, 
62. 

adaptation  of,  to  sheep  husbandry, 44 — 51. 
59. 

adaptation  of,  to  Hon.  T.  L.  Clingman's 
statements  concerning,  44,  45. 

adaptation  of,  to  Mr.  H.  M.  Earle's  state- 
ments concerning,  46. 

adaptation  of,  to  Col.  E.  Colston's  state- 
ments concerning,  47. 

adaptation  of  to  Hon.  W.  L.  Goggins's 
statements  concerning,  47. 

adaptation  of,  to  Hon.  A.  Stevenson's 
statements  concerning,  47. 

adaptation  of,  to  Hon.  A.  Beatty's  state- 
ments concerning,  47. 

adaptation  of,  to  Air.  C.  F.  Kramer's 
statements  concerning,  48. 

adaptation  of,  to  Hon.  R.  F.  Simpson's 
statements  concerning,  59. 

adaptation  of,  to  Mr.  N.  Murdoch's 
statements  concerning,  62. 

winter  pasturage  on,  47 — 49,  59. 

adaptation  of,  ^o  turnips  and  other  fod- 
ders, 62. 

climate  of,  44 — 51,  59. 

climate  of,  shown  by  vegetation  of,  50, 
51. 

climate  of  compared  with  that  of  New 
York,  49,  50. 

price  of  lands  in,  44,  46,  47,  48,  59. 

wolves  in,  64. 
Spain,  sheep  husbandry  of,  62,  63. 

great  decrease  in  wool  growing  in.  111. 

migratory  sheep  husbandry  of,  and  its 
disadvantages,  113. 

advantages  of,  for  migratory  sheep  hus- 
bandry, compared  with  those  of  south- 
ern states.  62,  63. 

evil  eflects  of  the  31esta  in,  113. 

height,  climate,  and  vegetation  of  moun- 
tains of  62,  112. 

general  advantages  of,  for  sheep  hus- 
bandry, 62,  63,  112. 

soil  and  products  of  112. 

number  of  sheep  in,  112. 

decreased  exports  of  wool  from,  110,111. 

exports  of  wool  to  U.  S.  in  1836  and 
1846,  111,  124. 

other  exports  from,  112. 

sheep  dogs  of,  280—284. 
Spear  gra,s3.     See  Blue  crass. 
Spergula  arvensis.     See  Spuri-y. 
Sphenoid  bone,  cut  of  236. 
Spirit  of  salt.     See  3Iuriatic  acid. 

of  tar,  use  of  in  sheep  practice,  277. 
Spleen,  structure  and  functions  of  the,  231, 

232. 
Spurry,  as  a  green  manuring  crop,  South,  74. 


INDEX. 


317 


Srapgcrs.     See  Hydatid  in  the  hrain. 
Stell,  description  of  the.     Page  206,  207. 

cut  of  outside  one,  203. 

cut  of  ancient  ones,  2i)(). 

cut  of  inside  circular  ones,  207. 

cut  of  circular  one,  with  racks, &c.,  207. 
Sternum,  the,  228. 

St.  Helena,  exports  of  wool  from,  110. 
Stomachs  of  the  sheep,  description  of,  228 — 
231. 

cuts  of  the,  228. 

structure  and  functions  of  each  of  the, 
228,  229. 

course  of  the  food  through  the,  229,  230. 

conflicting  theories  concerning,  230. 
Storing  wool,  1H9.     Also  see  Wool  depots. 
Storms,  bad  eflects  of  cold  ones  after  shear- 
ing. 191. 
Sturdy.     See  Hydatid  in  the  brain. 
Sulphate  of  copper,  use  of,  in  sheep  prac- 
tice. 275. 
Sulphate  of  magnesia,  use  of,  in  sheep  prac- 
tice, 275. 
Sulphur,  use  of,  in  sheep  medicine,  276. 
Sun-scald,  cause  and  treatment  of,  191. 
Swamp  mud,  its  value  as  a  fertilizer,  70. 
Sweden,  exports  of  wool  from,  110. 
Sweet -bread.     See  Pancreas. 
Syria,  climate  of,  104. 

adaptation  of,  to  sheep  husbandry,  117, 
118. 


T. 


Table  1.  Of  population,  number  of  sheep, 
pounds  of  wool,  woollen  factories,  and 
value  of  manufactured  sroods  in  south- 
ern states  and  in  New  York,  17. 

2.  Of  average  weight  of  fleeces  in 
southern  states  and  New  York,  18,  20, 
21. 

3.  Of  average  weight  of  fleeces  in  four 
counties  of  each  of  the  above  states, 
20. 

4.  Of  comparative  value  of  manures, 40. 

5.  Of  the  flowering  of  plants,  «&c.,  in 
New  York,  49. 

6.  Of  thermometrical  observations  in 
New  York,  50. 

7.  Of  the  average  prices  of  wool  in  New 
York,  53. 

8.  Of  importations  of  wool  into  Eng- 
land every  tifth  year,  Irom  1810  to 
1840,  110. 

9.  Of  importations  of  wool  into  U.  S. 
annually,  from  1837  to  1846.  124. 

10.  Of  importations  of  wool  into  U.  S. 
in  1846,  with  countries  from  which 
imported.  124. 

11.  Of  woollens  annually  imported  into 
U.  S.,  during  twenty-hve  years,  125. 

12.  Of  increiuse  of  population  in  U.  S., 
from  1790  to  l.'^40,  127. 

13.  Of  increase  of  population  and  amount 
of  wool  required  in  U.  S.,  at  different 
periods,  for  one  hundred  and  fifteen 
years,  128. 

14.  Of  the  progressive  reductions  in  du- 
ties on  wool  and  woollen,  under  the 
"  Compromise  Tariff"  of  1833,  159. 

Tagging,  necessity  of.  173. 
how  performed,  173.  174. 
cut  explanatory  of,  173. 


Tar,  propriety  of  feeding  of,  to  .sheep,  194. 

U.SC8  of,  in  sheep  practice,  277. 
Taritls  on  wool,  of  rrnnce,  106. 
of  England,  106.  ' 

6f  U.  S.,  on  wools  and  woollens,  exacted 
in   the   ypars  1824,   1KJ8,    U<32, 1833, 
1841,  1842,  and  1846,  158,  lJ9. 
efTect  of  those  of  U.  Sf.  on  the  prices  of 

wool,  159,  161). 
elTect  of  those  of  U.  S.  on  importations 

of  wool,  159,  160. 
effect  of  tho.se  of  U.  S.  on  importations 

of  woollens,  160.  • 
effect  of  tho.se  of  U.  S.  on  domestic  pro- 
duction of  wool.  159. 
efl'ect  of  those  of  U.  S.  on  the  quality 

of  domestic  wool,  159,  160. 
frauds    practised    in    invoicing,  coarse      a 
wools  imported  into  U.  S.f  under  that 
of  1842,  107. 
effect  of  that  of  1846  on  manufactures       • 

of  U.  S..  106,  125,  126,  161.       g 
effect  of   fluctuations  in,    o*i   manufac-    . 
tures,  126. 
Tasmania.     See  Australia. 
Taurida.     See  Crimea. 
Taylor,  Col.  John,  of  Virginia,  his  erroneous 
views  in  relation  to  sheep  husbandry, 
72,  81. 
Teeth,  number  and  description  of,  237. 
indicative  of  the  age,  237. 
cuts  of,  at  different  ages,  237. 
difference  in  the  retention  of,  by  different 

breeds,  238. 
causes  of  premature  loss  of,  238. 
should  be  removed  in  some  cases,  238. 
Temperature,    influence   of,    on   quality   of 

wool.     See  Climate. 
Tennessee,  population  of,  17. 
number  of  sheep  in,  17. 
pounds  of  wool  grown  in,  17. 
average  weight  of  fleeces  in,  18,  21. 
woollen  factories  in,  17. 
woollen  manufactured  in,  17. 
fine  wooled  sheep  introduced  in,  27. 
fine  wooled  sheep,  wool  of,  not  deterio- 
rated in,  27. 
adaptation  of,  to  sheep  husbandry,  27, 

48. 
adaptation   of   mountains  of,   to   sheep 

husbandry,  48. 
price  of  lands  in,  47,  48. 
Tetanus,  unusual  in  U.  S.,  253. 
Thibet,  advantages  of,  for  sheep  husbandry, 
118. 
wool  exported  from,  118. 
Thoracic  duct,  the,  231. 
Thoracic  viscera,  the,  234. 
Thorax,  the,  234. 
Thyroid  glands,  the,  236. 

diseases  of  the,  270,  271. 
Ticks,  mode  of  destroying,  and  keeping  out 

of  flock,  192. 
Tobacco,  u.se  of,  in  sheep  practice.  277. 
Timothy,  the  favorite  meadow  grass.  North, 
33. 
as  the  food  of  eheep,  212. 
success  on  southern  lowlands  question- 
able, 37. 
succeeds  on  southern  mountains.  44,  62. 
Toe-nippers,  description  and  use  of,  183. 

cut  of,  183. 
Tory  weed.     See  Hound' s-f  on  true. 
Trees,  clumps  of,  for  winter  shelter,  207. 


318 


INDEX. 


Trifolium  repens.  See  Glover,  white. 
Trifblium.pratcnse.  See  Clover,  red. 
Trough's,  forfeeding  roots  or  grmn»  Page  203. 

for  feeding  roots  or  grain,  cuts  of,  203. 

for  folding  wool,  187. 

for  fol^ding  wool,<?ut  of,  187. 
Tunica  arachnoides,  the,  236. 
Tunisian  sheep,  JItroduced  into  U.  S.,151. 

character  of,  151,  15*.       '  • 
Turbinated  bones,  cut  of  the,  236. 
Turnips,  succeed  on  the  sauibern  mountains, 
62.- 

how  fed  off  by  sheep  in  England,  72. 

value  of  a6«a  fodder,  213,  216. 

Swedish.''   See  Euta  haga. 
Turnsick.     See  Ifydatid  ih  the  hrain. 
Turpentine,  spirits  of,  use  of,  in  sheep  prac- 
||  ■'  tice,  277.. 

Turkey,  soils  and  climate  of.  118. 

soils  and  cliniate  of,  in  Europe,  114. 

faf e  of  the  country  in,  114. 

pop\i*lation  of,  114. 

institutions  of,  unfavorable  to  sheep  hus- 
bandry, 114. 

exports  of  wool  from,  109,  110. 

exports  of  carpets,  108. 
Tuscany,    advantages    of,    for    sheep    hus- 
bandry, 113. 
Typhus  fever,  not  common  in  U.  S.,  238. 

u. 

Ukraine,  Merinos  introduced  in,  117. 

advantages  of,  for  sheep  husbandry,  117. 
United  States,  number  of  sheep  and  pounds 
of  wool  in,  in  1839,  123. 

breeds  of  sheep  in,  129. 

exports  of  wool  to  England  for  thirty 
vears  from,  110. 

exports  of  wool  in  1845,  1846,  122. 

annual  imports  of  wool  of,  from  1837  to 
1846,  124. 

annual  imports,  from  what  countries,  in 
1846,  124. 

annual  imports  of  woollens,  from  1821 
to  1845,  125. 

annual  consumption  of  woollens  in,  126, 
127. 

annual  consumption  of  woollens  in,  per 
head  of  population,  127. 

proportion  of  woollens  consumed  in,  do- 
mestic, 126. 

proportion  of  woollens  consumed  in,  im- 
ported, 126. 

proportion  of  domestic  made  in  manufac- 
tories, 126. 

proportion  of  domestic  made  in  families, 
126. 

increase  of  population  in,  127. 

amount  of  wool  which  will  be  requisite 
for  population  of,  at  different  periods, 
for  one  hundred  and  fifteen  years, 
128. 

adaptation  of,  to  sheep  husbandry.  See 
Southern  Statis,  ]\eiu  Enslaiid,  Prai- 
riea,  and  the  states  by  name. 

adaptation  of  to  sheep  husbandry,  com- 
liared  with  Germany,  116. 

adaptation  of,  to  sheep  husbandry,  Mr. 
Grove's  opinion  concerning,  116. 

adaptation  of,  to  sheep  husbandry,  com- 
pared with  other  countries.  See  Wool 
growing.  ■*■ 


United  States,  woollen  manufactories  of.  See 
Woollen  factories. 
tariffs  of,  on  wool.     See  Tariffs. 
(for  all  other  particulars  concerning,  see 
names   of   the   things   in   relation    to 
which  information  is  sought.) 
Uraguay,  in  the  wool  zone,  105. 
Ureters,  the,  233. 
Urethra,  the,  233. 

Urinary  organs,  description  of  the,  233. 
Uterus,  description  of  the,  233. 


V. 


Vagina,  description  of  the,  233. 

Van  Diemen's  Land.     See  Australia. 

Veins,  description  of  the,  234. 

Vena  cava,  the,  234. 

Ventricles,  the,  234. 

Verdigris,  use  of  in  sheep  practice,  277. 

Vetches,  dried  into  hay,  value  of,  as  a  fodder, 

213. 
Veterinary  works,  character  of  American, 
219. 
character  of  English,  219. 
how  far  English  ones  are  applicable  in 
U.  S.,  220. 
Virginia,  population  of,  17. 
number  of  sheep  in,  17. 
wool  grown  in,  17. 
average  weight  of  fleeces  in,  18,  21. 
woollen  factories  in,  17. 
woollen  goods  manufactured  in,  17. 
adaptation  of,   to  sheep  husbandry,  42, 

47,  60. 
adaptation   of  mountains  of,   to  sheep 

husbandry,  47. 
adaptation  of  north-western,   to  sheep 

husbandry,  60. 
■winter  herbage  on  mountains  of,  62. 
winter  pasturage  in  other  parts  of,  60. 
cost  of  keeping  sheep  in,  60,  61. 
price  of  lands  in,  60. 
Vitriol,   blue,   value   of,  in  sheep   practice, 
275. 
green,  use  of,  in  sheep  practice,  276. 
oil  of,  as  a  caustic  in  sheep  practice,  276. 

w. 

Washing  sheep,  cut  of  apparatus  for,  181. 

vats  and  yards  for,  181. 

directions  for,  182. 

time  to  elapse  after,  before  shearing,  184, 
Water  necessary  for  drink  of  sheep,  195,218. 
Weaning  lambs,  proper  time  for,  195. 

how  managed,  195. 
Welsh  plains,  for  slave  cloths.     See  Slave 

cloths. 
Wheat,  value  of,  in  producing  live  weight, 
wool,  and  tallow,  214. 

per  cent,  of  nitrogen  in,  214. 

straw  of  value  of,  in  different  states,  as 
a  fodder,  213. 

fed  to  sheep  in  Germany,  211. 

chaft'  of,  value  of,  as  a  fodder,  213. 

bran  of,  value  of,  as  a  fodder,  213. 
Wind-pipe,  the.  235. 
Winter  feed.     See  Fodders. 
^^'ire  grass.     See  Bermuda  grass. 
Wirtemberg,  advantages  of,  for  sheep  hus- 
bandry, 114. 


INDEX. 


319 


Wisconsin,  advnntngea  of,   for  sheep  hus- 
bandry.   Piitjo  yo— 103. 
Wolves,  in  the  Southern  States,  64. 

how  guarded   against,    65.      See   Shei-p 
doss- 
Wool,   zone  in  which  it  can  be  profitably 
grown.  103,  104. 

fabrics  of.     See  IVoollfns. 

chemical  analysis  of,  214. 

quality  of  that  of  different  breeds  com- 
pared, l.')4. 

growth  of,  influenced  by  quantity  of 
feed,  '28. 

growth  of,  influenced  by  kind  of  feed, 
214. 

quality  of  influenced  by  climate,  23 — 29. 

quality  of,  influenced  by  climate,  opinions 
of  eminent  judges  on  this  point,  23 — 
29. 

grows  softer  and  longer  in  warm  cli- 
mates, 28,  29. 

quality  of,  made  coarser  by  abundant 
feed,  23. 

can  this  tendency  of  abundant  feed  to 
coarsen,  be  counteracted  ?  24,  28. 

felting  properly  of.  accounted  lor,  137. 

terms  used  to  express  difierent  qualities 
of,  161. 

fine,  proper  characteristics  of,  167.  168. 

fine,  proper  amount  of  yolk  and  gum 
of,  167. 

fine,  proper  length  of,  167. 

fine,  proper  evenness  of,  167. 

fine,  proper  softness  and  elasticity  of, 
168. 

fine,  proper  serrations  of,  168. 

fine,  proper  color  and  brilliancy  of,  168. 

Merino  and  .'^axon  compared,  163. 

cuts  of  Merino  and  Sa.xon,  135 — 137. 

middle  character  &ad  uses  of,  110,  145, 
146. 

middle  character  of,  the  sheep  which  pro- 
duce it,  145. 

cut  of  the  Southdown,  145. 

long,  character  and  uses  of,  143,  151. 

long,  character  of  the  sheep  which  pro- 
duce it,  143,  149.  151. 

cut  of  Leicester,  136. 

comparative  profit  of  growing  fine  and 
coarse  in  U.  S.,  154 — 163. 

comparative  value  of  fine  and  coarse  for 
strength  and  wear,  157,  158. 

not  a  fair  discrimination  in  prices  of, 
made  by  manufacturers  of  U.  S.,  160. 

promised  improvement  in  above  parti- 
cular, 161. 

shrinkage  of,  in  manufacturing,  86,  88, 
91. 

prices  of,  in  New  York,  for  fourteen 
years,  53. 

prices  of  in  England,  25. 

amount  of,  grown  in  U.  S.,  123. 

amount  of.  grown  in  Southern  States,  17. 

amount  of,  grown  in  New  York,  17. 

average  weight  of,  per  fleece,  in  Southern 
States,  18,  20. 

average  weight  of,  per  fleece,  in  New 
York,  18,  21,  53. 

amount  of,  grown  in  U.  S.,  does  not 
meet  home  consumption,  123 — 126. 

amount  of,  annually  grown  in  U.  S.,  123. 

amount  of.  consumed  in  U.  i^.,  123 — 127. 

amount  of,  consumed  per  head  in  U.  S.. 
127. 


Wool,  amount  of,  imported  into  U.  S.,  from- 
•      1821  to  1846,  124,  125. 
amount. of,  exj>oricd  from  U,  S.,  122. 
amount  of,  munut'acturgd  in  U.  S.,  126, 
•     127. 
anionrit  of,  required  to  supply  demand  in 

U.  S.,  at. different  future  [UTieds.  128. 
table  of  imports  of,  into  Hiigliind,  110. 
table,  brought  dfiwn  to  lbl6,  294. 
increase    in    amount   of,   imported    into 

England,  frojn  1771  t(>  1840.  123. 
increase   ill   amount  .of;    imported    into 

England,  from  1840  to  1846,  29-1.  * 

increasing  demand  for,   throughout   the 

world,  123.  ■     •  ■; 

one  of  the  most  marketable  agricultural 

products,  77.  '    .  ■ 

amount  of,  grown  in  different  countries. 

See  names  of  countries.  '  * 

comparative  profits  of  growing  in  diffLT; 

ent  countries.     See  IVool  growinir. 
can  be  more  profitably  grown  in  southern 

than  northern  U.  S.,  163. 
will   northern    compete    with   Southern 

States  in  growing  ?  162. 
method  of  washing,  181. 
method  of  washing,  cut  of  arrangements     • 

for,  181. 
metiiod  of  shearing,  184. 
method  of  shearing,  cuts  of   arrange- 
ments for,  184. 
method  of  doing  up,  187 — 189. 
method  of  doing  up,  cut  of  arrangements 

for,  187,  188. 
method  of  storing  in  wool  room,  189, 
method  of  sacking.  189. 
room  for  storing,  how  arranged,  189. 
depots,  origin  and  objects  of,  289,  290. 
depots,  plan  and  regulations  of,  290. 
depots,  advantages  of,  291. 
depots,  peculiarly  advantageous  to   the 

southern  wool  grower,  292. 
Woollens,  some  processes  and  facts  in  manu- 
facturing of,  described,  87,  88. 
amount  of,  made  in  factories  of  U.  S., 

126,  127. 
amount  of,   made  in  families  in  U.  S., 

126,  127. 
amount  of,  made  in  Southern  States  in 

1839.  17. 
amount  of,  made  in  New  York,  in  1839, 

17. 
amount  made  in  families  decreasing,  and 

causes,  89. 
amount  imported  into  U.  S.,  from  1821 

to  1845,  125. 
amount  consumed  in  U.  S.,  126,  127. 
amount  consumed  per  head  in  U.   S., 

127. 
amount  required  for  future  consumption 

in  U.  S.,  128. 
for  slaves.     See  Slave  cloths. 
Woollen    factories,    table   of,    in  Southern 

States,  and  in  New  York,  in  1839,40. 
rapid  increase  of,  in  the  North,  ^6. 
further  increase  of,  called  lor,  125,  126, 

128. 
great  profits  of,  in  the  North,  86 — 93, 

125,  161. 
would  be  equally  profitable  in  the  South, 

86. 
stability  of,  in  U.  S.,  125.  126.  161. 
foreign    competition    defied    by,    under 

present  tarifi',  125. 


320 


inde]<j:. 


Woolf#n    factories,    injured    by    vacillating 

legislation.     Page  12^ 
Wool  growing,  probable  increase  or  decr^se. 

of,  in  various  countries,  121,  122.  •.■ 
.  '  in  U.  S.,  advantages  for..    See  natjpies  of 

states  and  regions.  •    , 
in  Alabama,  42,  47,  60. 
in  Florida,  42,  60. 
in -Georgia.  <2,  47,60.  ^^ 
in  Illinois,  «7,  95— 102.  '■ 
in  Indiana,  9.5 — 103. 
in  Iowa,  95 — 103.     •    $1 
in  Kentucky,  27,  47,. 48. 
in  Louisiana,  18,  30,  38. 
in  Mississippi,  27,  38.    ' 
in  Missouri  Territory,  95 — 103. 
in  New  England,  95. 
in  New  Jersey,  95. 
in  North  Carolina,  43 — 46. 
in  Ohio,  95.'-    , 
in^ennsylvania,  95. 
on  pra'iries,  95 — 103. 
in  South  Carolina,  47,  58—60. 
in  Tennessee,  27,  48. 
in  Virginia,  42,  47,  60. 
in  Wisconsin,  95 — 103. 
Wool  growing   in    foreign    countries.     See 

names  of  countries. 
in  Afghanistan,  118. 
in  Asia  Minor,  118. 
in  Australia,  25,  119—121,  294. 
in  Austria,  114 — 116. 
in  Baden,  114. 
in  Bavaria,  114. 
in  Beloochistan,  118. 
in  Buenos  Ayres,  105,  106. 
in  Cabul,  118. 

in  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  65,  119. 
in  China,  118. 
in  Crimea,  117. 
in  England,  111. 
in  France,  111. 
in  Germany,  114 — 116. 
in  Great  Bucharia,  118. 
in  Greece,  114. 
in  Hungary,  116,  117. 
in  Independent  Tartary,  118. 
in  Italy,  113. 
in  Lombardy,  113. 


Wool  growing,  in  Mexico,  105. 
in  Modena,  113. 
in  Naples,  113. 
in  Papal  States,  113. 
in  Parma,  113. 
in  Persia,  104,  118. 
in  Prussia,  114,  116. 
in  Russia,  117. 
in  Sardinia,  113. 
in  Saxony,  116. 
in  Silesia,  104,  114,  115. 
in  South  America,  105,  106. 
in  Spain,  62,  112. 
in  Turkey,  114,  118. 
in  Tuscany,  113. 
in  Ukraine,  117. 
in  Van  Diemen's  Land,  121. 
in  Wirtemberg,  114. 
Wool  market,  of  the  world,  108,  109,  123. 
of  England,  108,  110,  294. 
of  France,  108,  109. 
of  German  States,  114,  295,  296. 
of  United  States,  123—128. 
foreign  producers  cannot  compete  with 

us  in  that  of  U.  S.,  108,  122,  123. 
U.  S.  producers  can  compete  in  foreign, 

with  foreign  producer,  108,  122,  296. 
prospect  of  increase  in,  universally,  123, 

296. 
Wool  oil.     See  Yolk. 

Y. 

Yards  for  sheep  in  winter,  199. 

necessary  in  the  North,  200. 
Yoking  rams,  how  done,  193. 
Yolk  of  wools,  chemical  analysis  of,  182. 

proper  amount  of,  in  fleece,  167. 
Youatt,  his  character  as  a  veterinary  Vkriter, 
219. 


z. 


Zinc,  carbonate  of,  use  of,  in  sheep  practice, 
27. 
sulphate  of,  use  of,  in  sheep  practice, 
239. 


THE   END. 


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